The New Hunter
by newhunter17
Summary: Charley is a normal teenager, at least she thought she was. Orphaned at the age of four, she grew up to be a strong and independent person. Her future was planned, leaving the orphanage after two years, she plans to pursue college. However with the sudden appearance of her brothers, everything changed. Set during Season 1 of Supernatural (spoiler alert). Crossover is on latter part
1. Chapter 1- Secrets

I was four when they brought me to this place. I made a lot of friends here. I felt accepted. No one has tried to hurt me here. I feel safe. This is my home, the orphanage.

My name is Charley. I never knew my mom and I can hardly remember my dad. All I can remember is a black figure that, I think, was the reason I was brought here. I never told anybody about that.

"Hey, Charley!" Amy called. "The bell already rang, aren't you coming down?"

"I'll just go to the bathroom." I replied. I blasted off towards the bathroom and washed my face. I looked in the mirror. A pair of green eyes was staring at me. I realized they were mine

Amy is my best friend. Although I am three years her senior, we still grew close, along with the other children here. See, I am already 16, close enough before I leave this place. Well, I'm not the only one. I can't even imagine how I am going to do that. I grew up here. This place means a lot to me, I can't let this go but I have to. I have to move on and find what's in for me. I have to find my family, whether some of them may be dead, they're still my family and I want to find them, ask them for questions. Questions only they can answer.

"Charley! Come on now!" Amy called.

"I'm coming!" I dried my face with a towel then ran towards her.

"What took you so long?" She asked me.

"Nothing, I'm just... tired."

"Tired, huh? You were sleeping for like ten hours. And now, you're still tired." She eyed me. I looked down.

"Come on, now. Don't start with me." She laughed at my face when I blurted that out.

"Okay." She was still laughing.

"What's the matter?" I asked her, curious.

"Nothing."

When we reached the hall, everyone was already there. We found our place and sat down. Maggie, Dustin and Jennifer were already here. Maggie was 13, Dustin also 16 and Jennifer, 15.

"Are you okay?" Jennifer asked me.

"Yeah, why?" I raised an eyebrow. I felt a sudden rush of adrenaline. Something's wrong here.

Jennifer shook her head. I was hungry for answers. Good thing, Dustin was aware of that and he answered.

"You remember Sarah and Ryan?" He asked me.

"Yeah, they were with me when that happened. Why?"

"They were found this morning, in the yard. No life."

I was startled. I felt a lump on my throat which made me mute. It wasn't their fault when that happened. It was all me. I felt guilty for them. It should never be that way.

"It was all my fault. It should have been me." I whispered.

"Shh, Charley. Don't say that." Amy said. "It's going to be okay. Trust me."

"Charley, I think someone is looking for you." Maggie said as she pointed Miss Farrow, the in-charge in the orphanage. She was walking towards our table, holding pieces of paper. _'Not adoption papers'_, I thought.

"Winchester, follow me."

I followed Miss Farrow to the foyer. There, an old man was sitting on the couch. He was wearing a dark shirt topped with a checkered polo, a denim jeans. His face was old and bearded. He was also wearing a bull cap.

"Charley, this is Bobby Singer." Miss Farrow introduced me to the man. He stood up and offered his hand. I shook it. Miss Farrow gestured for us to sit down.

"I... What does this mean?" I asked out of nowhere, which was pretty lame. _'You're being adopted, moron!'_ I thought.

"Charley, I know it's been a long time. Aren't you happy you're being adopted?" Miss Farrow sounded like she wanted me out of here. That was a bit offensive.

"Are we related?" I asked the man named 'Bobby'.

"No," He said. _'Damn, why me?'_ I thought again. "But I know your family." That sounded convincing.

"You do?" I know he's telling the truth. I can sense it.

"I think I'll leave you two." Miss Farrow felt a bit out-of-place so she decided to bail out. "Charley, if ever you're leaving now, have your bags packed and see me in the office." I nodded. Then she left.

"Charley, if you're ready now, I want you to come with me and meet your family." Bobby said.

"Can you give me a couple of minutes? I'll be back." I told him.

"Sure."

I left the room and tried to find my friends. I found Dustin running up the staircase. I ran after him trying to catch him up.

"Dustin!" I called but he didn't hear me. He was running fast until he turned left to a corner near the balcony. I tried to catch up then I saw a scene that would change my life.

Amy was standing on the rails of the balcony, suicidal. _'No, not Amy!_' My mind was shouting. If I didn't let '_that_' happen, she wouldn't be in this situation.

"Amy!" Dustin called. I stiffened. "Come down here. Don't do that."

"No! They will take Charley away from me." She shouted. Then she turned her head fully. Literally fully, like seeing Linda Blair in the movie 'The Exorcist'. Then she fixed her gazed on my, her eyes bloodshot.

"You've got to be kidding me." I mumbled. She was possessed. I realized that seeing this kind of thing in person is much scarier that in movies_. 'Now how did I think of that? What do I know about those things?' _My mind's making me freak out.

"Charley..." Amy said. Or not. Her voice wasn't the usual. It was more of a deep growl, like from deep under the ground. She jumped off the rail.

"Amy!" I tried to save her, but it was too late. Dustin then came to my side. He held me in his arms protectively. I started to sob softly, not to make him hear but he did.

"Shh, it's going to be okay. You're going to be fine," He held my face securely in his hands. He brushed the tears off my cheeks. "Let's just go down."

We went down to the lobby. _'Shit, Bobby'_ I realized Bobby had been there waiting for me. I looked for Bobby but he wasn't there.

"Bobby?" I called. "Dustin, help me find Bobby, we need to get out of here." I turned to face Dustin, he wasn't there.

"What the hell?" I exclaimed.

"Guess again." A voice said. 'No' I thought. It was the same voice that came out from Amy. I turned to face him. It was inside Dustin.

"Dustin, no." I tried to calm him down. Dustin attacked me. I tried to run but he caught me, He smashed me right to the floor and pinned me down. As I tried to strangle, he growled. Blood was streaming down my cheeks, and a pain jolted down my shoulder. My shoulder's broken.

"I have to kill you. I have to kill all of you!" He was drooling all over me, 'Gross' I tried to react but it was no time for that.

"Why?" I stuttered.

"It was all your fault why I became like this." His face was distorted, the black in his eyes were gone. Then all of a sudden he looked at me with pupils dilated. No, his eyes were pitch black.

_'Demon?_' My mind suggested. "No, no...n-nno" I chattered as I gathered up my strength and tried to shove him off me, but I failed.

"Do you honestly think you can get through me?" He laughed. I saw a gash of blood streaming from his forehead.

"Dustin, please." I pleaded softly. "Don't do this."

"NO! THIS WAS ALL YOUR FAULT!"

"Yeah! But why bother killing my friends too? WHY DON'T YOU JUST KILL ME NOW?" I bellowed with rage. Then I heard a gunshot. I saw Bobby along with two other men. They were holding shotguns.

"Get off her." The shorter man pointed his gun at Dustin. Dustin didn't move.

"No, please. Don't kill him. He's possessed." I told them. Dustin was staring at me, smiling wide.

"Enjoy a little family reunion, Charley?" He told me. 'Family?'I thought. God! If they happen to be my brothers I'd be damned to have such handsome ones.

"Again, Get off her." The man was pissed now. "Or face your death." He aimed at Dustin.

"Dean, wait." The taller man told him. "There's human inside."

"Aren't you gonna do anything?" Bobby asked.

"It's just a ghost I think." The taller man held a bottle full of water and sprinkled some on Dustin.

"What the-" I started to blurt out but the man called Dean cut me off.

"Yeah. A ghost." Then he shot Dustin at the back. Dustin fell back.

"Dustin?" I moved towards him. He was not breathing. Then I turned to them, "You killed him! You... He was my friend!"

"He's still alive, Charley." Bobby told me but it made no difference.

"What? How? He's not breathing."

"Sam, we have to find the remains." Dean told the taller guy then he turned to me. "Charley, hey, we need your help."

"What about Dustin?"

"I'll bring him to the hospital." Bobby offered.

"The hospital's two miles from here." I told him.

"Don't worry. He can make it." Bobby assured me.

"Charley, come on." Sam took my hand and led me towards the hall. "Now, we need to ask you some questions."

"Have you been noticing some weird things lately?" Dean asked me.

"Look, let's just get straight to the point." I told them. "I think I know what you are looking for."

They shared the same curious expression.

"It was all my fault. She should have just killed me. It was my fault that she was dead."

"Charley, what are you talking about?" Sam asked me.

"Melissa." I sighed. "It was her. She was the ghost."

"What about her?" Dean asked.

"Will you stop asking questions and let me continue?" I almost yelled at him. "Sorry." I told back.

They both laughed. "Dude, he's little you." Sam told Dean. Dean gave him a look, which made Sam stop. Then they gestured for me to continue. God! These guys are crazy, but I kind of like them.

"So going back. I was telling you that it was Melissa. She was an orphan here." I told them. "She was young, 12 years old, I guess. But I warn you, she may be bitchy sometimes or most of the time. She beats the crap out of younger children, even me. I was 13 at the moment. She tried to pick on me. Well, she got on my nerves and shove her off. I think I broke her wrist.

"My other friends were also her victims. She burned Maggie's books; destroyed all the artworks of Jennifer and Dustin. Worst she did was to burn Amy's hair. God! She was so annoying." I rolled my eyes. Then I immediately blurted out, "Sorry, I was such a baby."

"No, just continue." Dean told me. Sam smiled.

"So, one day I made up my mind to confront her. I found her in the balcony, bullying Sarah and Ryan. I went near to save their asses, sorry for my term I know it's rude", I looked at them and they smiled, "but Melissa was tough. She didn't want to be handpicked. So she shoved me off. I was a bit wimpy that time so I fell on the floor. The next she did surprised me. She was holding a knife and acted like she was going to stab Sarah in the neck. Ryan tried to steal the knife from her but she wounded him on the palm. I told Ryan to run but he didn't. He pushed Melissa away from me which made her fall down the floor. Ryan held Sarah tight and ran down."

"And then?" Dean asked. "What happened to Melissa?"

"I... um. I didn't mean to do that." My eyes welled with tears.

"It's okay. You need to tell us what happened." Sam said encouraging me.

"I pushed her off the stairs because she tried to kill me." I almost said the sentence gasping for air.

"It's fine now. All we need to do is to find the corpse." Dean said. "Do you know where the corpse is?" He asked me.

"I think she's buried in the cemetery nearby. I'm not sure."

"Let's go." Dean rushed to the door.

"Where to?" I asked Sam.

"To the cemetery." He held my shoulder. "Can you walk?"

"Of course."

We left the orphanage to find Melissa's grave. Dean was walking in front of my, Sam on my side, assisting me. They were carrying a duffel bags.

"What's in the bag?" I asked Sam.

"Our equipments." He looked at me. "We'll tell you all later, after we finish this."

We stopped in a corner. A small tombstone sticking out the ground covered with a lot of vines and shrubs.

"Check this out." Dean pointed at the grave. "I think this is it." He removed some of the vines covering the grave. "Melissa Reynolds." He read.

"That's her." I told them.

"Okay." Sam said. "Let's do this."

"You go first." Dean said. "You dig, I'll burn."

"Why me? You're the eldest." Sam told him.

"Yeah, and I'm giving out orders because I'm the eldest. Bitch."

"Shut up, Jerk."

I broke their conversation. "Guys, are you digging her up or not? Might as well have me to do it."

"Yeah, yeah. I'll dig." Sam said. He took a shovel out of the duffel bag. And started digging up the grave until he found the coffin and broke it. He got up and Dean took over. He took a can of salt, gasoline and a matchbox out of the bag. I didn't bother to take a peek for I might faint. The smell was making me sick.

"Let's finish this." He poured salt on Melissa's corpse, then gas. He lit a matchstick and threw it to the coffin.

"So it's over?" I asked them.

"Yes." Dean replied.

After cleaning up. We got back to the orphanage. I saw Miss Farrow standing outside her office. I stepped towards her.

"Miss Farrow?"

"It's over." She looked at me. "Thank you."

"Have you known all of this?" I asked her.

"It's been a long time. She was bugging me for years."

"Why didn't you tell us?"

"You're young. Too young to know about them." She stared past me. I turned around to see Sam and Dean waiting for me.

"I have to go now." I told Miss Farrow. "Will you be okay?"

"Just go." She gestured me to go.

"Miss Farrow, thank you for taking care of me. I will never forget you. All of you." I gave her a hug. She was crying hard now. Sam and Dean walked towards us.

"Ma'am, thank you for looking after our sister." Sam said. Dean nodded.

"It's a pleasure. She's a sweet girl." Miss Farrow told them. She was smiling now. "I'm sorry though, dear, that you lost your friends."

I shook my head. "Thank you."

"We have to go now." Dean told us. "I'll leave a contact number if something like this happens again." He handed Ms. Farrow a piece of paper with his number written on it.

"Be careful." Miss Farrow told me. "A lot of things are out there for you."

* * *

As we made our way outside, I saw Maggie and Jennifer. I told Sam and Dean to go ahead as I made my way towards my friends.

"Amy has been brought to the hospital." Maggie told me.

"Is she okay?" I asked her.

"She's still unconscious when they brought her into the ambulance."

"Charley," Jen said. "Do you really have to leave?"

"Even if I don't want to leave, I think I have to." I told her. "I have to go with my brothers."

"You have some handsome brothers." Maggie said, trying to ease up the mood. "I'm just kidding."

"I was surprised too." I smiled at her. "Look, I really have to go now."

"Take care, Charley." Jen hugged me tight.

"Ring us sometime." Maggie joined us in our hug. We stayed like that for a minute and a half before they let go.

"Listen, girls. If something like that happens again, tell Ms. Farrow so that she could contact us. Maybe we could help." I told them. "Let's hope for Amy and Dustin's full recovery."

"Goodbye, Charley." They hugged me again.

"Goodbye." I bid my farewell.


	2. Chapter 2- A New Beginning

Chapter 2- A New Beginning

Dean's POV

When I was little, I used to imagine Sam and I having a little sister. I built a simple world with the three of us. I pictured her to be a year younger than Sammy. They could play all the time. I would watch them spend time together, taking care of them, protecting them against whatever forces of evil that might harm them, because that would exactly be what Dad wants me to do. Protect Sam, and now, Charley.

"Dean, hey!" Charley called out. "You need a lot of explaining to do." Charley was only 16, I wonder how she looks like when she was still a baby. She's beautiful now, I bet she was more before. Her long brown hair is tied up in a ponytail, but it was messy. Her eyes were like mine. They were green. They were staring at me. "Hey man, are you alright?"

"Yeah." I told her. "I just can't imagine myself having a sister."

"I know. It's a nightmare, isn't it?" She laughed at me.

"Come on, it's not that bad." Sam interjected. He was standing by the door, leaning against it.

"Okay, seriously guys. I need answers." Charley told us.

"Let's just sit down." I ordered them. Sam and Charley sat on the couch and I brought another chair, sat there facing them. "Okay, I'll start from the beginning."

"Mom died when I was four, Sam was barely a year old. She was killed on a fire. Dad got us out, he tried to save her but he couldn't. From that day on, he swore he would hunt down whatever killed Mom." I told her.

"Apparently, I have a different mother from you. I'm sorry about that." Charley told me. She was right. She had a different mother. A woman whom my father had an affair with. Safe enough to say that she's still a Winchester no matter what.

"So Dad trained himself to be a hunter. He sought help to other hunters. He collected all information that he could get just to look for that monster who killed our mother." Sam continued. "Then he trained us to be hunters. We ought to move from one place to another because we might be followed. Along our way, we met people who needed our help. We helped them in every way we can, but..." Then Sam was silenced.

"But deaths are just part of life. Some died."

"So it's all part of the whole deal." I affirmed.

"Yes." I agreed. "Save people, Hunt things, the family business."

"All that skills, all that knowledge about the supernatural, He taught you?" Charley asked.

"Yeah, Dad taught us all, along with the help of Bobby." Sam answered.

I looked at Charley and she started yawning. I feel exhausted too. "Maybe we ought to have a rest." I told them.

"Wait, I have another question." Charley told me. I nodded. "Where is he? Where is Dad?"

That was kind of a hard blow on me. She already started to ask questions that are kind of difficult to answer.

"And why did they left me in the orphanage? Can't he just teach me also Hunting 101?" Charley's eyes welled up.

"You need to rest, I'll answer all of them tomorrow." I led her to the bed and told her to lie down and sleep. told Sam to get to the other bed, as for me, I decided to sleep on the couch.

I'm getting the feeling that tomorrow will be a new day for all of us.


	3. Chapter 3- Home

Chapter 3- Home

_ "Charley," a voice said. "You'll never escape, Charley. I'll always find you."_

_ He was the same black figure I saw years ago. The reason I was brought into the orphanage. I tried to run away from him, but he caught up and pulled me into the darkness._

I woke up with a start. We were staying in a cheap hotel here in town. Sam and Dean were still sleeping soundly. I stood up, walked to the fridge, trying to find something to eat but there wasn't any. My stomach was grumbling and I had nothing to eat. I decided to grab some breakfast into the diner nearby so I cleansed myself first. I grabbed my backpack and the keys, but before I left the room, I decided to leave a note for them. They might throw a fit if they found out I was missing. After I finished the note, I left it on the bedside table and left.

It was indeed a bright day, the sky was clear and the sun was shining brightly. I wandered off, trying to soak up the good vibes that the surroundings are radiating. When I reached the diner, I immediately ordered my breakfast. I decided to get some too for my brothers. I know, I found it kinda awkward. I never even knew I had brothers until yesterday. Then, Dustin's face popped up in my head. I wonder if he's alright now. And Amy. Well, I'll just ask my brothers to call Bobby.

I reached the house after a while. Sam was sitting on the bed, scribbling something in his notepad. Dean was sitting on the chair, surfing the net using Sam's laptop.

"Uh, hey guys! I bought some breakfast." I placed the food on the table and sat across Dean. Sam was still doodling intently on his notepad, I glanced at him, smiling, then at Dean, who rolled his eyes. Then, Dean checked on the food.

"Oh! Thank God! Bacons!" Dean exclaimed. He started nibbling on the bacons and I gave him a cup of coffee. I started eating too, because really, my tummy was growling like a lion.

"So," I started. "You haven't answered my question. Where's Dad?" I looked at Dean.

"Charley," He took a sip of his coffee before he proceeded. "Dad's missing. Sam and I, we're... trying to find him."

"Oh." I was stricken. I thought getting out the orphanage was supposed to be a good thing. Apparently, it's not. "So, we're finding him where?"

"That's what we're trying to find out." Dean resumed surfing the internet. "Alright, I've been cruising on some websites, trying to find candidates for our next case."

I looked at him. "Case?" I asked. He just gave me an 'explain-later' nod. I resumed eating.

"A fishing trawler found in the coast of California. Its crew vanished. And I've got some cattle mutilations in Texas." He looked at Sam, who was still doing his artwork. "Hey! Am I boring you with this hunting evil stuff?"

Sam quickly looked at Dean, then resumed to his drawing. "No, I'm listening. Keep going."

Dean told him about this weird articles. When he realized Sam was not really listening, he waved his hands in front of him.

"Wait, I've seen this." Sam stopped scribbling.

"Seen what?" Dean asked. I looked at Sam for answers. He stood up and searched his bag for a journal.

"What's that?" I asked.

"Dad's journal." Dean told me, then asked Sam, "What are you doing?"

Sam pulled out a photograph and compared the two. Suddenly, Sam said, "Dean, I know where we have to go next." I shot them with a questioning glare, they didn't bother.

"Where?" Dean asked.

"Back home." Sam answered. "Back to Kansas."

"Okay, wait. How can you be so sure?" I asked Sam.

"Yeah, where did that come from?" Dean questioned him. Honestly, he wasn't comfortable with the idea of them going back to Kansas.

"Alright, look at this." He showed us the photo. "This photo was taken in front of our old house. The house where Mom died, right?"

I looked at the photo, it was a photo of them, the whole family I guess. Their mom was carrying the Baby Sam. She was beautiful, indeed. And I guess, the young boy was Dean and the old man. Our Dad.

"Yeah." Dean said in a disapproving tone.

"And then it burnt down," Sam continued. "but not completely. They rebuilt it, right?"

"I guess so, yeah." Dean was confused. "What the hell are you talking about?"

And I was confused just as Dean was. Then Sam started to explain.

"This is probably going to sound crazy." He warned us. "But I think that the people living in our old house, I think they might be in danger."

"Why would you think that?" Dean asked.

"Sam, are you sure?" I asked Sam.

"Look, guys." He looked at us both. "You just got to trust me on this one. I know it sounds crazy, but trust me."

"Yeah, it's incredibly insane." I commented. Sam started packing up his things. I figured he was too crazy to go to Kansas. I started to rewind back what he said. Maybe, he's right. Most of the time, hunters trust their instincts right?

"Whoa whoa, wait. Trust you?" Dean stood up. "That's weak, man. You gotta give me something more."

"I just... I can't really explain it. That's all."

"Dean," I stood up. "Maybe he's right. Maybe we have to go to Kansas."

He shot me a glare. Seriously, I'm getting scared with that. He turned back to Sam. "Well, tough. I'm not going anywhere until you do."

Sam sighed. Then he started explaining. "I have these nightmares."

"I've noticed."

"And sometimes, they come true."

"Come again?"

"Look, Dean. I've dreamed about Jessica's death... for days before it happened."

"Some people have weird dreams, man. I'm sure it's just a coincidence." He sat on the corner of the bed.

"No, I've dreamed about the blood-dripping, her on the ceiling, the fire. Everything about it, and I didn't do anything about it because I didn't believe it, and now I'm dreaming about that tree. About that house. A woman screaming inside for help. I mean, that's where it all started man! It has to mean something right?"

"I don't know." Dean said quietly.

"What do you mean you don't know? Dean, this woman might be in danger. I mean this might be the same that's killed Mom and Jessica!"

"Alright, just calm down!" Dean said. "Slow down, would you?" He stood up from the bed. "First you tell me you've got The Shining? Now, you're telling me I've got to go back home? Especially when..." I swore I saw Dean trying to hold his tears. I should probably do something but I'm practically glued to my seat.

"When what?" Sam asked.

"When I swore to myself I would never go back there."

"Look," Sam stood up. "Dean, we have to check this out, just to make sure."

That was when I found my voice. "Dean, Sam probably has a point. I mean, there's no harm in trying right?"

He nodded. "I know we do." He finally said.

We packed our stuff, and shoved them into the trunk of the Impala. I slid on the backseat, knowing that I would probably end up there. After a while, the engine purred and we were on the road.

"Charley," Dean called. "You know how to drive?"

"Honestly," I told him. "No. You might be generous enough to teach me though."

"Yeah, if we're not on a tight schedule. I probably might." He grinned at me on the rear-view mirror. I grinned back.

"Hey, Sam," I asked. "How many of these nightmares of yours have actually come true?"

"Well, few enough for me to act like this." he told me.

"Fair enough." I said quietly.

I noticed we passed by a sign that said 'Lawrence 3' so I figured that we might be near. After a while, we pulled over across a two-story house with a dead-like tree beside it.

"Are we here?" I asked.

"Yeah." Sam answered, then he turned to Dean. "You gonna be alright man?"

"Let me get back to you on that." He simply said.

We got off the Impala and walked towards the house. Dean knocked on the door and a blond-haired woman answered. She was on her early 30's, I think.

"I'm sorry to bother you, Ma'am," Dean started. "But we're with the federals-"

Sam cut him off, "I'm Sam Winchester." He said and turned to us. "and this is my brother Dean, my sister Charley. Umm, we used to live here."

Instead of saying that this was the first time I set foot in Lawrence, I managed to keep my mouth shut and just smile at the woman. At least, there'll be no conflicts.

"You know, we were just driving by and we were wondering if we could some see the old place." Sam continued.

"Winchester..." The woman said. "That is so funny. You know I think I might have found some of your photos the other night."

Dean was kind of stunned. "You did?"

The woman gave a soft sigh and motioned for us to come in. She led us to the kitchen where I saw a little girl on the table. I figured she might be doing some of her homeworks. Her little brother, I think, was jumping on his crib, treating it as a trampoline, exclaiming "Juice, juice!" repetitively trying to catch his mother's attention.

"That's Richie," The woman said as she went to the fridge to get some juice to give to Richie. "He's kind of a juice junkie, but hey, at least he won't get scurvy." When Richie had gotten his juice, he immediately stopped bouncing. The boy was cute.

"Sari," the woman called her daughter and pointed to us. "This is Sam, Dean and Charley. They used to live here."

Well, that was a lie. It was my first time to be in that place. Only Dean and Sam lived here before.

"Hi." Sari said as gave us a little wave. Dean managed to smile and give back a small wave as I did too.

"Hey, Sari." Sam said. I figured that I might suck at these so I just let them do the talking.

"So you just moved in?" Dean asked.

"Uh yeah, from Wichita." She answered. Dean continued to question her. I learned that her name was Jenny and she moved in here because she needed a fresh start. Major one for her, and she's still looking for a job.

"So, how do you like it so far?" Sam asked her.

"Well, uh. With all due respect to your childhood home, I'm sure you've had lots of happy memories in here but uh," She stopped for a while, searching for answers. "This place has its issues." She finally said.

"What do you mean?" Sam inquired.

"Well, it's just getting old. Like the wiring, you know. We've got flickering lights almost hourly." She explained.

"That's too bad." Dean said. "What else?"

I wondered what he meant by that. I do sense something odd about the place though. I don't know if it's just my knowledge of Mary Winchester being killed here or my supernatural senses had really heightened.

"Sink's backed up and there are rats in the basement." By the time I looked at her, she faced down and apologized. "I'm sorry." She said. "I don't mean to complain."

"No," Dean defended. "Have you seen the rats or have you just heard scratching?"

"Just the scratching actually." She answered.

"Mom?" This time, Sari spoke. I noticed Sam and Dean took glances to each other. I tugged them both, wondering and confused at the same time. "Later." Dean mouthed. I nodded.

"Ask them if it was here when they lived here." Sari whispered to her mom. Okay, I totally know that something's going on.

"What, Sari?" Sam asked immediately.

"The thing in my closet." She answered. Bingo! I thought. A child would never lie about monsters especially at night. I know that they always think that it's just the imagination, but trust me, sometimes what's in the head comes true.

"Oh no! Baby, there was nothing in their closets." She told her daughter gently. Then turned to us, "Right?"

Dean managed to smile. Sam said, "Right, no. No, of course not." I forced myself to smile too, but something's going on in my head right now.

"She had a nightmare the other night." She explained.

"I wasn't dreaming." Sari argued. It came into my bedroom and it was on fire."

Fire, I thought. Could it possibly be... No. I pushed the thought outside my mind. After gathering information, we bid our goodbyes. As we came down the front stairs, Sam immediately started talking.

"You heard that?" He said. "A figure on fire."

"And that woman, Jenny. She was the woman in your dreams?" Dean asked Sam.

"Yeah." He answered. "And you hear what she's talking about? Scratching noises, flickering lights. Both signs of a malevolent spirit."

"Yeah, well." Dean said. "I'm just freaked out that your weirdo visions are coming true."

"Guys," I exclaimed. I couldn't follow what's on their minds. I thought they would stop and listen but I realized I had two stubborn brothers.

"That thing out there, you think that's the one who killed Mom and Jessica?" Sam was literally unstoppable.

"I don't know!" Dean yelled.

"Has it come back or has it been there for a long time?"

"Maybe it's something else entirely. Sam, We don't know yet."

"Dean, those people are in danger. We have to get them out of the house."

"And we will." Dean assured. The two of them continued arguing and I felt a little sick.

"Okay, whoa. Back up! Slow down a little bit!" I finally shouted. Still, they didn't listen. I slid inside the car, waiting for them to finish their cat fight. When they finally did, Dean immediately started the car and drove. This time I spoke.

"So, are you finished now?"

"What?" Dean asked me.

"Are you two morons finished talking now?" From the rearview mirror, I saw them both rolling their eyes.

"I saw that." I said. "Can Charley get to talk now?"

"Yeah." Sam said.

"So, scratching, lights flickering. Those are signs of ghosts?"

"Uhuh." Dean nodded.

"What else? And how do you ward them off?" I asked.

"Sudden drop of temperature." Sam stated.

"You ward them off with salt or iron, anything with that." Dean explained.

"Okay. So you think that there is a ghost in the house."

"Probably." Sam said.

"And Sam, you think that whatever is in there, that's what killed your Mom and Jessica."

"Yes."

"But I'm not sure of that." Dean said. Sam glared at him.

"Cut it out, guys!" I exclaimed. "But Sam, Dean's got a point. That might be something else. I mean, I don't think ghosts can pin someone on the wall and put them on fire. That has to take up great strength. Right?"

They didn't say anything. I sighed in frustration. I noticed we pulled over in a gas station.

"So, what do we do?" I asked as we got off the Impala.

"We just chill out. That's all." Dean answered. I'm surprised by the way he said that."I mean, if this was any other job, what would we do?"

"We try to figure out what we're dealing with." Sam exhaled. "We dig into the history of the house."

"Exactly, except now we already knew what happened."

"Yeah, but how much do we know?" Sam sat down the trunk. "How much do you actually remember?"

"About that night, you mean?"

"Yeah."

"Not much. I remember the fire, the heat," Dean said. "Then I carried you out the front door." Sam seemed surprised by what Dean said, but I wasn't. I know they're not exactly the expressing type of brothers who shows off the public their affection for each other, but I do know that they love and honor their family, enough to say that they got me out of the orphanage.

"You did?" Sam wondered.

"Yeah." Dean tried to play it cool. "Well, you never knew that?"

"No". Sam shook his head.

"And, uh." Dean continued. "You know Dad's story as well as I do. Mom was on the ceiling. Whatever put her there was long gone by the time Dad found her."

"And he never had a theory about what did it?" Sam asked.

"If he did, he kept it to himself." Dean turned to sit beside Sam. I was watching them intently. "God knows we asked him enough times." He continued.

"So, that's why until now, you have no idea who or what did it?" I whispered. Dean nodded.

"Okay." Sam spoke. "If we figure out what's going on now, we have to figure out what happened back then. And see if it's the same thing."

"Yeah."

That was the last thing I heard until my thoughts swam in my mind. I felt pity for them, especially for Sam, who was only six months old when the incident happened. I know life is hard for them, because I had a hard life too. I do have friends but I have no parents. At least they knew Dad, and he taught them skills. I was left vulnerable, forgotten.

Dean's voice snapped me out of my thoughts. "I'll be right back." He said. "I'm gonna go to the bathroom."

"You okay, Sam?" I asked.

"I'm fine." He told me.

I sat on the trunk beside him. "I'm sorry, Sam." I looked at him. "About your mom."

He gathered me in his arms. "No. I'm sorry, Charley." He met my eyes. "I'm sorry you never knew your mom and never met Dad."

He was right. I never knew my Mom. I don't even have a picture of her.

"It's fine." I told him.

"No, it's not." He said.

"Why?" I asked. I can feel my tears building up now. I tried my best to hold it back.

"Because you never knew them. It's so hard growing up not knowing whether you still have a parent or not."

"You're right." I wiped my eyes. I remembered being in the orphanage thinking whether my family still wants to meet me or not. All those emotions came back to me. "It's wasn't fine. But now, it is."

"Why?" His eyebrows furrowed. "Because, I still have hope." I smiled. "And I have you."

Dean came back from the restroom. I stood up patted Dean in the back and looked at Sam. "And Dean."

Sam smiled. I winked.

"Okay?" Dean was confused. Sam and I laughed and he rolled his eyes at us. We slid inside the Impala as we began our investigation.

We went into this Guenther's Auto Repair shop. Dean said that Dad used to work here, along with a man. We introduced ourselves as cops. I felt very nervous, maybe because this is my first actual investigation.

"So, you and John Winchester," Dean asked. "You used to own this garage together?" I never knew Dad's name was John. I don't know why it never occurred to me to ask. I guess, the possibility of really finding him was too small for me, not that I don't want to see him anymore, but this job that we're doing, is very dangerous. I heard the man tell us that it has been 20 years since the last time he saw John.

Then he asked us, "Why are the cops interested all of a sudden?"

It was still Dean who replied, "We're just reopening some of our unsolved cases, and the Winchester disappearance is one of them."

"He was a stubborn bastard. I remember that." The man said. No wonder, Dean really is John's son.

"And, uh." The man continued. "Whatever the game, he hated to lose. It's that whole marine thing, but uh. Well, he sure loved Mary, and he doted on those kids."

I saw Sam look at Dean. I looked on the ground wondering if John felt the same way for me, or if I'm just some illegitimate child to him.

"But that was before the fire?" Sam asked.

"That's right." The man said.

"Did he talk about that too?"

"No," he shook his head. "Not at first. I think he was in shock."

"Right, but eventually..." Sam inquired. "What did he say about it?"

"Oh, he wasn't thinking straight. He said something caused the fire and killed Mary."

"He ever said what did it?" Dean asked.

"Nothing did it, it was an accident." He said certainly. "Electrical short in the ceiling or walls or something."

"I begged him to get some help but..." He continued, then trailed off.

"But what?" Dean led him on.

"Oh, it just got worse and worse." He said.

"How?" I asked as I wrinkled my brow.

"Oh, he started reading these strange old books," he stated. "He started reading this palm reader in town."

"Palm reader." Dean went through his pockets. "You have a name?"

"No." The man seemed weirded out by our curiosity. I wonder what's going on in his mind. We left him as soon as we thanked him.

"What do we do now?" I asked as we slid inside the Impala.

"We find the palm reader." Sam answered.

"How?"

"We just find the palm reader." Dean said. "Phone directories. Internet. Whatever."

We drove and drove as soon as we find a telephone booth. It was located near a diner.

"I'll ask the diner if they have a local phone directory." I told them, they both nodded. I went inside the diner. It wasn't that huge, but it's decent enough for a place to eat. I walked towards the counter and talked to the staff.

"Excuse me." I said.

"Hey, can I get you anything?" He asked me.

"Do you have a local phone directory? I just need to find someone." I tried my best to use my charm.

"As a matter of fact, yes." He dug into the bottom of the counter, when he appeared, he was holding a white page directory. He handed it to me.

"Thanks, Xavier." I said peeking on his nameplate. I turned around as soon as I got it.

"Wait!" He called. "You never told me your name."

"Why should I?" I said. "I'm not gonna stick around by the way." I grinned, walking out of the diner.

I handed Sam the directory as I sat on the hood of the Impala. Dean glared at me.

"What?" I asked. "I'm not going to soil it."

"_Her_. You better not soil _her_." He emphasized. I just rolled my eyes. Boys and their cars.

"All right, so there are few psychics and palm readers in town." Sam stated. "There's someone named El Divino. There's the mysterious Mr. Fortinsky." He continued, chuckling. "Uh, Missouri Moseley, some dude-"

"Wait. Wait." Dean cut him off. "Missouri Moseley?"

"What?" Sam asked him.

"That's a psychic?" "Uh, yeah. Yeah, I guess so."

"What's wrong, Dean?" I asked.

He opened the backseat to get Dad's journal. He told us that Dad wrote something about Missouri. We read it. He thought Dad meant the state. So we decided to visit, Missouri Moseley. Missouri was staying in a two-story house nearby. We sat down on the couch waiting for our turn. It seems that she has so many clients. We heard her talking to someone as they went outside from a room. She ushered the client outside of the house.

"Whew! Poor bastard." She sighed as she shut the door. "His woman is cold-banging the gardener."

"Why didn't you tell him?" Dean asked.

"People don't come here for the truth. They come for good news." She walked away, then turned around to face us. "Well, Sam and Dean come on already. I ain't got all day!" She gestured for them to come over. "That means you too, young lady." She pointed at me.

Sam, Dean and I looked at each other, then stood up and followed her. "Well, let me look at you." She turned to face us. "Oh, you boys grew up handsome. And you were one goofy-looking kid too!" She told Dean, then she faced me, "And you, young lady. Another Winchester, huh?"

"Charley." I said.

"I know." She told me as she took my hand. "You're beautiful."

"Uh, thanks?" I know I was blushing at that time so I looked down. "Oh, an orphan. John never told me about you." She stated. 'Oh, I wonder why?', I thought sarcastically. Maybe he didn't really care about me. "But not completely. You still have your brothers. They care about you, Charley. Don't you think that way."

"My mother… is she..." I tried to asked her. "I don't know, dear. I'm sorry." I just nodded at her answer. She let go of my hand to face Sam.

"Sam," She took his hand. "Oh, honey. I'm sorry about your girlfriend." Sam's expression changed. Dean and I exchanged looks. "And your father, he's missing?" Missouri continued.

"How did you know all that?" Sam asked. " Well, You were just thinking about it just now." She answered.

"Where is he? Is he okay?" Dean asked.

"I don't know." She told us.

"Don't know?" Dean said. He looked at us. "You're supposed to be a psychic right?"

Missouri creased her brows at him. "Boy, you see me sawing some bony tramp in half, you think I'm a magician?"

I broke a small laugh as Sam did a very wide smile.

"I may be able to read thoughts and sense energies in a room, but I can't just pull facts out of thin air." She continued lecturing him. "Sit! Please." She told us.

We sat on the sofa. I was trying to get comfortable when Missouri told Dean something. "Boy, you put your feet on my coffee table, I'm gonna whack you with a spoon."

That's it, I broke my composure with a laughter. Sam elbowed me.

"I didn't do anything." Dean defended.

"You were thinking about it." She stated. Dean looked at us. Sam and I smirked.

"Okay, so." Sam started. "Our dad, when did you first meet him?" Missouri told us that our father came to her first to get answers about his wife, about what happened, who or what killed her. She was asked to check out the place. She concluded that the energy she felt was pure evil. Sam then, told her about his nightmares, explaining what he saw in it. I told her about the possible evidences of the presence. The scratching and flickering of lights. Even the figure in fire, Sari told us.

"So, you think something is back in that house?" Missouri asked us.

"Definitely." Sam was sure of it. So was I.

"I don't understand." She was slightly shaking her head.

"What?" Sam asked.

"I haven't been inside, but I've been keeping an eye on that place, and it's been quiet." She told us. "No sudden deaths, no freak accidents. Why is it acting up now?"

"I don't know." Sam said as the three of us exchanged glances. "But Dad going missing, Jessica dying and now this house all happening at once, it just feels like something's starting."

"That's a comforting thought." Dean said. We then asked Missouri to visit the place again so she could do her thing. She gladly agreed. We drove again to the house and knocked at the door, the four of us waiting on the doorstep. After a while, Jenny opened the door. She was carrying her juice-junkie kid, Richie. She looked kind of troubled.

"Sam, Dean, Charley." She said. "What are you doing here?" We all smiled at her.

"Hey, Jenny. This is our friend, Missouri." Missouri greeted her with a smile. "If it's not too much trouble, we were hoping to show her around the house." Dean said. "You know, for old time's sake."

"Well, you know this isn't a good time. I'm kind of busy." She said as she was about to shut the door.

"Listen, Jenny. It's important." Dean insisted as Missouri smacked him in the head. "Ow!"

"Give the poor girl a break. Can't you see she's upset?" Missouri scolded him. "Forgive this boy, he means well. He's just not the sharpest tool in the shed. But hear me out." She told Jenny.

"About what?" Jenny asked.

"About this house." "What are you talking about?"

"I think you know what I'm talking about." Missouri said matter-of-factly. "You think there's something in this house. Something that wants to hurt you and your family. Am I mistaken?"

Wow. Missouri is one good psychic. I'm getting more and more impressed.

"Who are you?" Jenny sounded a little afraid.

"We're people who can help, who can stop this thing, but you're gonna have to trust us, just a little."

Jenny seemed convinced by that so she led us inside and let us do our business. We went upstairs and checked Sari's room.

"If there's a dark energy around here, this room should be the center of it." Missouri stated. _'Could this room be...'_ I thought. I imagined a little Sam, on his crib. Above him, pinned on the ceiling was his mother. Then suddenly the room was on fire.

"Why?" Sam asked her, snapping me back on track.

"This used to be-" Missouri said but I was the one who finished it.

"Your nursery, Sam." All eyes were on me.

"A potential." She remarked. Then she nodded at Sam.

"This was where all things started." We scanned the room. Dean activated his EMF, from what he's told me, when all lights are on and it's acting crazy, then there's definitely something going on in that place.

"Is that an EMF?" Missouri asked.

"Yeah." Dean replied.

"Amateur." She said.

I snorted. Dean glared at me. I rolled my eyes. Then he showed us the EMF, it was acting crazy.

"I don't know if you boys should be disappointed or relieved, but this ain't the thing that took your mom."

"Are you sure?" Sam asked. She nodded.

"How do you say so?" I asked.

"The energy is different from what I felt the last time I was here." She looked around. "It's something different."

"What is it?" Dean asked. She opened the closet and checked it out.

"Not it..." She told us. "Them. There's more than one spirit in this house."

"What are they doing here?"

"They're here because of what happened to your family." Missouri explained. I listened to her as she explained further. Taking down mental notes for myself. Pure evil means attracting spirits or ghosts or anything supernatural. A poltergeist, Missouri said. From what I know, poltergeist's can harm you because they are violent and can touch or move things. She can't conclude what the other spirit is doing though. I don't think the other spirit is of any harm. I just can't quite make sure of it. Is it possible to have a good spirit lurking around here trying to prevent the poltergeist from what it's planning to do? I'm not sure.

"Charley." I heard Dean call. He was waving his hand in front of my face, snapping me back to from my thoughts. "You are one deep-thinker. You okay?" I nodded as I followed them downstairs.

Missouri told us to make something like hex bags which we will be putting inside the walls of the house. One on the north, east, west and south of every floor of the house, which means we need twelve hex bags to purify the house. I helped Dean make them, although I don't know these ingredients. I just kept putting them in the cloth. I'm not even sure if this would work, but in the supernatural world, it seems like everything is possible.

"We'll each take a floor. Charley, you're with me." She told me. "We have to work real fast. Once the spirits know what we're doing, things are going to end up bad."

After we finished the hex bags, Missouri led Jenny and the kids outside the house. We distributed the hex bags, each of us taking four. Sam went upstairs, Dean took the first floor, which left Missouri and I on the basement. I gave Missouri two of the four hex bags as we worked our way down the basement. I took the south and west corner of the house. I carefully hammered the wall as I successfully placed one. I immediately transferred to the other corner as I heard a table moving. I looked at it and I saw Missouri trapped.

"Missouri!" I called as I ran towards her but an extension cord was tangled on my foot slamming me hard on the floor. I reached for something to cut the cord. I saw a pair of scissors near my shoulder, but as my free hand was trying to get it, I was pulled by the cord. My other hand was still holding the hex bag. I used my other foot to free myself from the cord. When I did, I immediately holed the wall and shoved the hex bag. I ran towards Missouri and tried to free her from the table. I pushed the table away from her and caught her when she was about to fall.

"Are you alright?" I asked her. She nodded.

"Are you?" She asked back. I gave her a slight nod. Honestly, I think my head slammed hard on the floor. I may have a slight concussion.

"Come on." I led her on the stairs. When we were on the ground floor, something happened. There was a light that suddenly erupted from the house.

"Sam! Dean!" I called. I led Missouri on the couch.

"It's over." Missouri told me. I ran upstairs, finding them. Sam was on the floor with Dean holding him.

"Hey!" I ran over to them. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah. You?" Dean asked.

"I'm fine, Missouri's downstairs on the couch." I told him.

"Come on." We carried Sam downstairs. We went to the kitchen, tried to fix some of the mess we caused.

"Are you sure this is over?" Sam asked.

"I'm sure." Missouri said as she turned to Sam.

"Why? Why do you ask?"

"No. Never mind." He sighed. "It's nothing, I guess."

Suddenly, I heard someone on the door.

"Hello?" It was Jenny.

"We're home." She was surprised by all the mess. "What happened?"

"Hi, uh. Um. I'm sorry. We'll uh, we'll pay for all of this." Sam said. Seriously, how can we pay for all of this. All we have are fake credit cards and few cash.

"Don't you worry." Missouri assured her. "Dean's gonna clean up this mess." She gave him a stern look. "What are you waiting for boy? Get the mop."

I chuckled.

"And don't cuss at me." Missouri scolded.

"I'll help." I offered.

After hours of cleaning, we left the house and bid Jenny farewell. Although, we're done, Sam insisted on staying so we stayed inside the Impala after we took Missouri home.

"I'm dizzy." I muttered.

"What?" Dean said.

"I think I hit my head pretty hard when I slammed on the floor."

"Why did you slam on the floor?"

"I tripped on the extension cord." I was holding my head with both arms.

"Don't fall asleep, you might have a concussion." Sam told me.

"But I'm sleepy." I complained.

"If you slept, you might not wake up again." Dean scolded.

"Thanks for the comforting thought." I told him. "So, Sam. Why are we still here?" I asked Sam.

"I just want to make sure."

"Why?" Dean asked. "Missouri did all the Zelda Rubenstein stuff, the house should be clean by now."

"Yeah. Probably." He said. "I just want to make sure."

He looked at me."Charley, try not to sleep okay? Stay awake."

I nodded.

"Problem is, I could be sleeping in a bed right now." Dean complained.

"Something's wrong, Sam. Am I right?" I asked him.

Just then, he shook Dean and went outside. Dean told me to stay as he got off too. Right, as if I'm staying here and miss all the action. I went outside, feeling dizzy. Dean and Sam was inside the house. When I reached the front yard, Dean and Jenny were coming out of the house.

"Dean! Jenny!" I rushed to them.

"Jenny, are you alright?" She nodded.

"Where's Sam?" I asked Dean. Just then, I saw Sari and Richie running out the door. I gathered them close to their mother.

"Where's Sam?" Dean asked Sari.

"He's inside, something's got him." She told us.

"Charley, stay here with them. I'm getting Sam." He told me as we heard the front door shut. Dean got to the Impala's truck to get his gun and an ax then he bolted to the door. I, on the other hand, tried to calm Jenny and her kids. People are starting to crowd nearby.

"Everything's gonna be okay." I assured them. When Dean destroyed the door, he ran inside. After a while I decided to follow.

"Jenny, stay here. Be strong. I'm gonna follow Dean." I ran towards the house and found Sam pinned on the wall. Dean pointing the gun towards the figure on fire.

"No don't!" Sam told Dean.

"Sam! Dean!" I ran towards them.

"What? Why?" Dean asked him.

"Because I know who it is." At that point, I turned to face the figure. "I can see her now."

Just then, the figure transformed. It became a woman. Blonde and beautiful. Somehow she resembled my brothers. Could it be her? I saw Dean lower his gun.

"Mom." He whispered.

"Dean." She said as she smiled at him. Smiling at me, she walked towards Sam.

"Sam." She said. "I'm sorry."

"For what?" Sam asked. He was on tears. Suddenly, Mary's ghost walked away from us, she looked on the ceiling and ordered the poltergeist.

"You, get out of my house! And let go of my son!"

Then all of a sudden, she was again on fire. The fire went up the ceiling and vanished. Sam was released.

"Sam, you okay?" I asked, supporting his weight. He nodded. Dean was slightly confused, based on his face. I hooked my arm on his. He looked at me, I smiled.

"Now, it's over." Sam assured.

The next morning, Jenny gave us the chest full of old pictures of my brothers, their mom and Dad. Dean put it in the backseat. I realized that I'm not that lucky because I have no pictures of my family. Maybe, I'll get Sam and Dean have a picture with me. Maybe, I'll get Bobby Singer in there too. As I remembered Bobby, I remembered Dustin too. I wonder if he's okay. I decided to borrow Dean's cell later to call Bobby and ask him about Dustin. We bid Jenny and Missouri farewell as we drove away.

"Hey, Dean." I tapped him.

"Can I borrow your cell?"

"I think it's time for you to have one." He told me as he handed me his phone.

"I don't have cash with me." I told him. I looked up Bobby's contact number and dialed it.

"It's just easy. Give me until tomorrow, I'll get you one." He assured me. I scoffed and put the phone in my ear. Unfortunately, it was Bobby's voicemail. I decided to leave a message.

"Hey, Bobby. It's Charley. I was wondering what happened to Dustin, you know, my friend from the orphanage. Is he alright? So, uh. Give me a call when you have news. Thanks." I ended the call.

"What's with you and that boy, Dustin?" Dean asked.

"What?" I handed him his phone. "Nothing."

"Nothing huh?"

"Yeah. Anyways, so uh. Guys, I know it's not appropriate of me to say this but, your mom was one badass chick." Silence is what came after. "You know, I'm just saying that you're lucky because you know her, and you know that she's brave and everything and I know it's awkward so I'll just shut up right now." I sighed and decided to sleep.

"Thanks, Charley." I heard Sam mutter. I smiled.


	4. Chapter 4- Shadow

Chapter 4- Shadow

It's been a long time since I stuck around with my brothers. We fought off different creatures, a crazy ghost doctor in a haunted asylum; a creepy scarecrow which almost got Dean killed, good thing Sam came back when he walked away; A psycho who controlled a grim-reaper, when Dean almost died because of electrocution; A possessed truck that almost killed Dean's ex-girlfriend; A telekinetic teenager who almost shot us dead; and a couple of psycho people who got us missing. With all these, I became more aware of what is out there in the dark. My brothers taught me how to drive the Impala, although I just did that twice because Dean didn't trust me enough to handle his '_baby'_. He got me a phone though, just like he's told me before. They also taught me how to use guns and those other things in the _'trunk'_ of the trunk. I know the basics now. I think I'm ready to be a full-pledged hunter.

"Is it really that important to dress like this?" I asked my brothers as we pulled over. We were dressed in a jumpsuit today, as an employee from an alarm systems company. Three days ago, we've read from paper news about a woman who was found inside her apartment ripped in pieces, her heart missing, by her landlady, somewhere in Chicago. We figured that this might be our kind of deal so we gave it a shot.

"You do know that you can actually stay here and wait for us, right?" Sam rolled his eyes at me. "In that case, you wouldn't have dressed like this."

"But I'd miss the action."

Dean got out of the car and pulled something out from the trunk. Sam and I followed.

"Alright, guys. This is the place." Sam said. We walked down the alley.

"You know, I gotta say dead meat is just fine without these stupid costumes. I feel like a high school drama dork." Dean expressed. Sam and I laughed. He was definitely right. Our costumes are stupid.

"What was that play you did?" Dean asked Sam as he tried to remember. "Uh, 'Our Town'. Yeah, we're good. It was great."

"Look, you wanna pull this off or not?" Sam challenged.

"I'm just saying this outfits cost hard on our money." Dean replied.

"Whose?"

"Ours." Dean stated. "You think credit card fraud is easy?" I laughed at them. These brothers of mine won't complete their days without arguing. It's like it's part of their everyday living.

When we reached the apartment, we went inside and found the crime scene. The police had given the go sign, which had us inspecting the place as the landlady left. The landlady told us that she found the body a few days later it happened. She noticed the foul smell and checked the room out. That was when she found the victim in pieces. "Everything was in perfect condition, except Meredith." she'd told us. I immediately got my camera and took pictures around finding some important patterns or symbols that might help us figure out what we were dealing with. Blood was still scattered on the floor, walls and the carpet. Dean activated his EMF as did Sam. We scanned the place thoroughly.

"So, the killer walks in and out of the apartment. No weapons, no prints. Nothing." Dean said.

"I'm telling you, when I saw the article in the newspaper, I knew this was our kind of job." Sam told us.

"I think I got it." Dean said as we noticed the EMF going all sorts of crazy.

"So you talked to the police?" Sam asked. Dean told us all the information he got about the little perky officer named Amy. I rolled my eyes.

"Dean!" Sam scolded.

"Yeah?" Dean looked at him and he snapped back from his thoughts. "Nothing we don't know about. Except that one thing they kept from the papers."

"Hmm?"

"Meredith's heart was missing." Dean stated.

"Her heart?"

"Yeah. Her heart."

"So what you think did it?" I asked them both.

"Well, the landlady said it looked like an animal attack." Dean answered. "Werewolf?"

"No, not werewolf. The lunar cycle's not right. Plus, if it were a creature it would have left traces." Sam said. "It's probably a spirit."

"A spirit so powerful, it tore her into pieces." I managed to say. "Wow."

"Who knows?" Sam told me. Suddenly, Dean was asking us for a masking tape, as he was looking on the blood traces on the floor. I scanned some drawers and found an electrical tape.

"Help me with these." He ordered me. We connected some of the blood prints on the floor forming a figure I haven't seen before. It was like the letter Z only having some sort of an elliptical figure on the middle of the letter.

"Ever seen that symbol before?" Sam asked.

"Never." Dean said.

"Me neither."

"Well, that makes three of us." I told them. I took a picture of it. After that we cleaned up and went outside.

That night, we decided to go to a local bar near the motel. Upon seeing the gender of the bartender, Dean immediately volunteered to talk to her. Sam found us a table and immediately sank down the seat to start our work. He told me that he's just gonna get Dad's journal from the car.

"I'm just gonna go grab something to drink." I told him. "Want some?"

"You could get me a beer." He said. I turned towards the bar, but he called back. "Hey Charley! No alcohol for you."

"Oh, come on, Sam! Just one shot?" I begged but he gave me a dismissive no. So I half-heartedly bought myself a can of Coke and a bottle of beer for him. Dean, who was about three meters away from me, reminded me.

"Charley, alcohol's off limits." He said without taking his eyes off the bartender. I stuck the can of coke right between their faces, took it away and smiling widely I walked away. I saw Sam already sitting down and joined him. After a while, Dean joined with us.

"I thought you were busy?" I teased him.

"Busy as a bee." He replied. "I talked to the bartender."

"So what did you get?" Sam asked. "Besides her number?"

"Dude!" Dean defended. "I'm a professional. I'm offended that you would think that." He managed to say. "Alright, here." he held up a piece of paper with a number scrawled across it. Sam forced a smile while I stopped myself from slapping my big brother under his head.

"You mind a little thinking with your upstairs brain, Dean?" Sam said.

"Wait, you have a brain down there?" I chuckled. Both of them looked at me, one glaring, and the other smiling. I gestured a zipping motion across my lips.

"There was nothing for find out" Dean continued. ''Well, Meredith worked here, she waited tables. Everyone's her friend; everybody said she's normal, didn't do or say anything weird before she died. What about that symbol, you found anything?"

"No." Sam and I managed to utter at the same time.

"Nothing." Sam said. "Nothing in books or in Dad's journal. I'd just need to dig a little deeper, I guess."

"I'm getting these creeps." I told them. "I mean, you said this can't be a werewolf." I turned to Sam. "Which means this has got to be a lot bigger, right?"

"Maybe." Dean said, looking at the news articles. "That was the first victim right before Meredith?"

Sam told us about the victim, what his name was and how he died. Nothing in common, except they're both dead. No patterns, none at all. What kind of psycho killer do all of these?

"So, recap." Dean said, with the hint of sarcasm in his voice. "The only intel we have is the bartender's number."

"You don't say." I muttered.

Sam, then, noticed something behind Dean as he was looking past him.

"What?" I heard Dean say, but Sam ignored him, already walking past him. Sam walked towards a blonde-pixie haired girl. He tapped her on the shoulder, she spun around to see him then they immediately engaged into a conversation. It seemed that they knew each other at some point. Dean and I followed him. I wasn't really listening to their conversation because something about this girl has caught me off guard. Something's different about her. I don't know why but I can sense it. Then, I heard Dean clear his throat aloud.

"Dude, cover your mouth." I heard her say. I snorted and Dean kicked my foot lightly.

"Yeah, uh..." Sam started. "This is my brother, Dean, and my sister, Charley."

Her mouth formed an O before she said, "This is Dean."

"Yeah." Sam nodded.

Dean was beaming up at her. "So you've heard of me." He said.

"Oh, yeah!" She exclaimed. "I've heard of you." Her face was stern, she continued, "The way you treat your brother like luggage."

Dean's expression changed. "Sorry?"

"Why don't you let him do what he wants to do? Stop dragging him over God's green earth."

Well, I think that was off the hook. "Hey-" I started.

"Meg," Sam stopped her. "It's alright."

Dean managed to whistle. "Okay, awkward." Then he tugged me and started walking away.

"Dean-"

"Don't start." He shut me up.

"But-"I argued.

"Enough." I realized we were in the bar and he ordered a bourbon. "Want some?"

I shook my head. "There's something about her, Dean." I told him.

"Yeah." He said.

"I mean something dark about her character." He looked at me with questioning eyes, urging me to continue. Instead I told him, "Just trust me on this."

Most of the time, I know my instincts are telling me what to do. I know how well it works. It kept me out of trouble. Sam met us and we decided to take the night off from all the tension that erupted earlier.

"Who the hell was she?" Dean demanded once we were outside.

"I don't really know." Sam answered. "I met her once. Meeting her again, I don't know guys. It's weird."

"And what was she saying?" There it is. Dean dropped the bomb. What a good way to end the night.

"I'm going inside the car." I told them both. I didn't need to hear their battle of words. My mind was still on Meg. There was really something off about her, I just can't put my finger into it. I slid in the backseat of the Impala, grabbed Dad's journal and a flashlight from my backpack. I decided to read, thinking that maybe I could find something regarding our case. When I opened it, the first word I saw was, "Demons".

"Demons, huh?" Then I started reading that section when someone knocked on the window. It was Dean, so I lowered it down.

"What?" I asked.

"Get out. We're going to the motel." So I did. I saw him give the keys to Sam. Dean and I made our way to the motel.

"Where's he headed?" I asked Dean, referring to Sam.

"To watch Meg." He chuckled.

"Seriously?" He just laughed.

When we reached the motel, we asked for a room with three beds. I noticed the receptionist eyeing us suspiciously. I had the courtesy to enlighten him.

"Okay," I said, looking at him. "This man is my brother, not my lover. And for the record, I am still a minor."

He sighed, accepted the credit card and handed us the keys. We entered the room and Dean took a quick shower. He's asked me to research about the symbol. I opened Sam's laptop and browsed the internet. I drew the symbol in a piece of paper, then proceeded to search for its meaning. After a couple of minutes, Dean was finished and he took Sam's laptop and told me go have a shower. I handed him the drawing of the symbol, and headed to the bathroom.

"Demons." I muttered. After my shower, I quickly joined him as we go around the case.

"What?" He looked at me bewilderingly,

"Could demons do that?" I asked him.

"Why do you ask?"

"Nothing." I dismissed. "Look!" I pointed at the screen.

The symbol was Zoroastrian, circa. 2000 BC. It translates into "daeva" or "demon of darkness". We read through the articles. Daevas are very vicious, animalistic demons, who have to be summoned by someone. Demons, I knew it.

"So these demons, have to be summoned so most probably someone's controlling them. We just have to find out who." I told him.

Dean reached for his cell.

"What is it?" I asked him, thinking he might have found something I didn't see.

"Nothing. Sam asked me to check on Meg Masters." He dialed Sam's cell. "Let me guess, you're lurking outside that poor girl's apartment."

As Dean talked with Sam, I focused on the drawing, since I knew I wouldn't really understand them because I could only hear Dean's part of the conversation.

I stared at the drawing again. Can it be Meg? I thought. I'm not really a pro when it comes to these stuffs. I mean, my brothers could be, but me? I'm not even halfway there.

"Sam? Sam." I heard Dean say.

"I guess that's the sound of Sam hanging up on you." I told him as I looked up.

"Yeah, he's probably enjoying his private little strip show."

I laughed. "You're so silly."

"So how did you know?"

"Know what?" I asked him, confused.

"That it was a demon."

"I don't know." I told him. "Instincts probably."

"Maybe you are a hunter by blood."

"I guess, it runs deep in the family."

After hours of research, I decided to make us some coffee. Then I heard the door open.

"Sam?" I called. I saw him walk inside. Then Dean stood up beside him

"Dude, I gotta talk to you," They said in unison.

Sam went off first, telling us that he followed Meg into an old warehouse, and that she has this creepy altar. She was the one summoning the demon, and someone was giving her orders to do so. Dean, then, told us that he went through some police records and that we missed something about it. Both victims were from Lawrence, Kansas.

"I don't know about you guys, but I assume I wasn't born there." I told them.

"Well, lucky for you." Sam told me. "Holy crap." He then cursed.

"Yeah." Dean added.

"I mean, it's where the demon killed Mom. It's where all it started."

"You mean, Meg might have something to do with the demon that killed your Mom?" I asked.

"Maybe." Dean said. "It's a possibility." Well, at least I got one thing straight. Meg has something to do with the killings.

"Charley!" Sam called.

"Huh?"

"I said pack your bags."

"Oh, okay." I re-organized my bag just a bit, since I haven't really had the time to get my things out of it, and double-checked the contents.

"Are you okay? You seem lost."

"Just thinking." I said. "I'm sorry. I'm trying to process all these things. I know it's been months but it takes time."

"Been there." He affirmed. He and Dean took care of the weapons. Salt, Guns, Holy Water and all that.

After organizing my things, I saw Dean pull out his phone and dialed someone. One word caught my attention. "Dad", Dean said. Why is he calling him? As if he'd actually show up. He got his voicemail by the way. Sam dropped the duffel bags he got from the Impala's trunk.

"That's just everything we need." He said.

"I'm not sure what to expect so I guess we'd just have to expect everything, huh?"

My brothers checked the pistols and all other guns, while I volunteered to put our bags in the car. When I came back, I swear I heard them arguing again.

"Dude, what's your problem?" I heard Sam ask. Dean was facing the wall, his back on Sam.

"Why do you think I dragged you everywhere?" He asked Sam. "Why do you think I dragged you from Stanford?"

No, I don't want to hear any of this crap. I dragged myself towards the door and went outside. I just wanted to end all these. I just want to find Dad. Once outside, I noticed I was unarmed. I can't go back though. I observed they both have their issues so it's best for them to settle them, so I just waited outside, leaning in the car. A cold wind blew in my face. I noticed it was chilly.

'Sudden drop of temperature', I thought. This is not good. Knowing I'm unarmed, I tried to get back inside the motel, I opened the door but it was jammed. I pulled my phone from my pocket and tried t dial Dean's cell. In the corner of my eye, I saw a shadow coming towards me. I started to bolt down to the opposite direction. No lefts, no rights, just straight ahead. I ran as fast as I could, until I saw a dead end. I was trapped. I checked my phone but I dropped it back there. I panicked, I know I shouldn't have but I did.

And then, there was darkness.

Dean's POV

That's it. Sam wants to be free. Free from all this crap. I can't quite understand where that's coming from. I grabbed the last duffel bag and went outside.

"Dean," Sam called. "Charley... She's not here."

"What?" Dammit, that girl could really get into my nerves. "Charley!"

"I checked inside the car, buildings nearby, no sign of her."

"Son of a bitch." I cursed. I cannot lose Charley, knowing I would lose Sam again. She's my responsibility. She's my sister. She's only been with us for a couple of months, but she managed to get through us easily, and we can't afford to lose more family. Just then, I saw something in the alley. It was Charley's cell phone.

"Sam," I called as I picked up the phone, and showed it to him.

"Maybe she's in the warehouse." Sam told me. And immediately, we drove to the place.

Charley's POV

My head hurts, so was my whole body. I tried to move but the rope around me was tight. I felt something sticky in my head, which I guess was my blood. My head buzzed and my vision was blurry, so I tried to adjust it. When I opened my eyes, I saw Meg standing across me, with her back on me. She was like talking to someone. Suddenly, I heard something from the side. I turned my head and saw Sam and Dean climbing. I tried not to make a sound to help them not to distract Meg. They went through the back quietly.

"Guys," Meg said suddenly. "That's a bit childish, don't you think?"

I made a muffled sound through my gag.

"Why don't you come out?" Meg continued. I made a sound again, and she glared at me. I restrained through the ropes, fighting, and she knocked my head to the pole to which I'm tied to.

"Charley!" Dean yelled. I blacked out.

When I regained my consciousness, Sam and Dean were both tied up.

"You're awake." Meg walked towards me. Removing my gag, she asked. "How are you feeling?" She yanked my hair and I screamed.

"Charley!" Sam and Dean yelled at the same time.

"Stop it!" I screamed. I saw the daeva coming right at me. "No!" Then I felt it scratching my skin, my flesh, leaving marks and blood streaming from it.

"STOP!" Dean yelled.

Meg ordered the daevas to stop. I was panting, catching my breath, blocking out the pain, allowing the adrenaline numb my body. They were talking, but my ears weren't listening. My body is burning, severe ache running through it. I concentrated on my brothers. Meg on Sam's lap, while Dean was cutting through the ropes. Meg discovering Dean's knife, throwing it away, but Sam on the other had managed to get free and gave the bitch a head butt. Sam destroyed the altar, then I saw Meg dragged by the shadow demons. Sam freed Dean, then they rushed towards me, cutting my ropes and helped me stand up. We went towards the window and saw Meg down on the ground.

"So I guess the daevas didn't want to be bossed around." Sam spoke.

"I guess not, " Dean replied. "Hey Sam, next time you wanna get laid, find a girl that's not so buckets of crazy, huh?" He smiled at him and carried me downstairs. He slid me in the backseat.

"How are you feeling?" He asked.

"Better." I whispered. He slid into the driver's seat while we waited for Sam. I closed my eyes and tried to sleep.

"Charley, we're here." Sam woke me up.

"Go ahead." I told them. "I'll follow."

"You sure?" Dean asked.

"Mhmm." I closed my eyes again, waiting for them to get off the car. I just wished for the pain to go away. After several minutes, I managed to get off the car and went inside the motel.

"Hey guys," I said as I opened the door to our room. "I left our things in the car, I hope you don't... mind." I swear I saw that we were four inside the room. A tall, dark-haired man was standing near them.

"Charlotte?" He called. I was afraid to ask him. Hell, I was afraid to approach him, so he went to me instead and gathered me in his arms.

"Charley." I stated. "It's Charley." I pushed the thought of him being my father inside my head. I lifted my arms and hugged him.

"I'm sorry." He said, releasing me. "Sorry for not being there for you."

Then he turned to my brothers, "It doesn't surprise me. It has tried to stop me before."

"What, Meg?" I asked. He nodded.

"The demon has?" Sam inquired.

"He knows I'm close." He explained. "He knows I'm gonna kill it, not just by exorcising it or sending it back to hell, but actually kill it."

"How?" Dean asked.

"I'm working on it." He assured us.

"Well, let us come with you." Sam offered. "We'll help."

"No, Sam." He shook his head. "Not yet." Just try to understand. This demon is a scary son of a bitch. I don't want you caught across fire." He looked at us as he said it. I totally understand where that was coming from, him being our father. My father, my Dad. I put my hand in his side and leaned into him. He supported my weight. "I don't want you hurt."

"Dad, you don't have to worry about us." Sam insisted.

"Of course, I do. I'm your father." He looked down, and up at Sam again. "Listen, Sammy, uh." Dad was trying to find the right words. "Last time we were together, we had one hell of a fight."

"Yes, Sir." Sam replied.

"It's good to see you again. It's been a long time."

"Too long."

The four of us were on the verge of tears. They enveloped each other on a hug. Dean on the other hand, half-carried me. Just after Sam and Dad released each other, Dad was dragged across the room and flew into the kitchen cabinets.

"Dad!" I called. The shadow demons were back. I saw them attacking Sam. I ran across the room, towards Dad but another attacked me.

"Sam! Dean!" I called. "Dad!" All I heard was scratching and screams of agonizing pain.

"No!" I heard Dean yell, followed by a thud on the floor.

"Aargh!" The shadow demons left marks upon marks. Triggering the wounds I had, making them more painful.

"Shut your eyes!" Sam shouted. "These things are shadow demons so let's light them up!"

Hell, my eyes were shut for a long time, I cannot even move. Then, someone helped me and dragged me outside. The smoke was burning my lungs, I was coughing my guts out. We got out safely (not really, but at least we got rid of the daevas). Sam made me lean on the Impala. I was still adjusting my vision when I heard Dean tell Dad that he can't come with us.

"What?"

"No!"

Sam and I managed to disagree with him at the same time.

"What are you talking about?" Sam asked Dean.

"Boys, you beat the hell—"

"We'll be alright." Dean cut Dad off.

"Dean, we should stick together. We'll go after this Demon—"

"Sam!" Dean shouted. "Listen to me! We almost got killed in there!"

"Dean!" I tried to interrupt. "Dad, please don't"

"Don't you understand? They're not going to stop." Dean was talking to both Sam and me. I know there was nothing to do to convince them, I just cried harder. That was all I could do.

"They're gonna try again. They're gonna use us to get to him." Dean continued, panting. "I mean, Meg was right. Dad's vulnerable when he's with us. He's stronger without us around."

"Dad," Sam faced Dad, put a hand on his shoulder. "No! After everything, after all the time we spent looking for you, please? I gotta be a part of this fight."

"The fight is just beginning," Dad told him. "And we all have a part to play. For now you just have to trust me, son. Okay? You gotta let me go."

Sam reluctantly nodded. He gave him a pat on the shoulder.

"Dad." I tried one more time. "Dad, please?"

"Don't make this harder." Dad said. "I'm sorry."

"Dad, you owe me this."

"Charley." Dean said.

"Charley, this is the best way to keep you safe." He stared at me, both hands on my shoulder.

"Do you even know, what happened to my mom?"

"She died a couple of years ago." Grief washed over me. My mother is dead and my father is leaving me again.

"Charley, look at me." He ordered. I looked at him intently in the eyes. "All these years, all these time, I never once forgot about you. You have to know that. I loved your mom, I love you. Your brothers love you. Hold on to that."

I nodded slowly.

"I avenged her death. Gave her the justice she deserved. I put back to hell the demon who killed her. Now, I have to keep you safe, keep the three of you safe. You just need to trust me on this. Your brothers will never leave you."

I hugged him tight. "I'll miss you." I whispered against his chest. "And I love you too."

Then he kissed me on the forehead and let go. I held onto my brothers for support as I watched Dad go. It was hard and painful, but I know it's for the best. Sam helped me get into the backseat. He and Dean hopped into the front seats. We may be going on our own separate ways, but I'm sure as hell we'll see each other again.

Soon.

* * *

This will be the last one for now.

Leave some comments or reviews! :))


	5. Chapter 5- Provenance

Chapter 5- Provenance

"It seems like you have picked up on Dean's actions, Charley." Sam said as we look into Dad's journal. We were inside a bar, Dean with a girl, doing god-knows-what, while Sam and I just waiting for him on a table, scanning for potential cases.

"I've been with you for too long." I replied. "Besides, it's not that really hard."

It has been a while since we went our separate ways with Dad. It was hard, but I guess it really was for the best. We hadn't crossed any demons since. Our last two cases consisted of a tulpa and a shtriga. Sam picked up the newspaper and gestured for Dean to come over. I took a look at one of the headline.

'Couple's throats slashed in own home.' It read.

Dean made his way on the table, bringing two beers. I stole one, but he swatted my hand away.

"Alright, so I think I got something." Sam stated.

"Yeah, me too." Dean answered. "I think we need to take a short leave. Just a little." He took a quick peek at the girl he was flirting with earlier. In my opinion, taking a little break wouldn't hurt us, but it may cost us a big chunk of time. I mean, we are a step closer to finding whatever it is that started this, or at least Dad was.

"Upstairs brain, Dean." I muttered.

He rolled his eyes at me. "Okay, what do you got?" He said as he turned to face Sam.

Sam explained to us the incident. A couple was found dead inside their house, their throats slit. No prints, no murder weapons. Not any trace of evidence was found. Then, he showed us that Dad had noted three other murders in the area years ago.

The next day, Sam and I checked the history of the house and all other details regarding the case, since Dean was drunk and was 'out and busy'. We were parked just outside the house. Dean was still sleeping, more like snoring, in the passenger seat. Sam blew the horn loud enough to make my other brother jump awake, when he did, Sam and I broke into laughter as we slid inside the Impala.

"Ah, man!" Dean grunted. "That's so not cool!"

We told him that we checked the house (EMF included) and it was clean. Even the history of the house was clean. No murders or any other violent activity happened before, especially relating to the Telescas.

"Well maybe cursed objects or other stuffs." He offered.

"The house was clean, like, literally clean." I said.

"What do you mean?"

"It's empty. There are no things, no furniture." Sam replied. "Clean."

"Where's all their stuff?"

Well, that's what we're going to find out.

"A museum?" I asked.

"Well, not technically." Sam said.

"More like a furniture store with mostly artworks." Dean replied.

"It's an auction house." Sam explained.

"So, you think their stuffs are here?" I asked.

"It's not that bad to try."

"I'm not saying it's bad."

"Charley!" Dean scolded. "Why are you so talkative today?"

"Nothing." I said. "Look, I'm just trying to have a conversation. I mean, I've been staying with you for a long time already. I've been through a lot and it's been the two of you whom, you know, teaches me."

"Your point being?" Dean asked.

"I don't know." I told him honestly. "I just think that it's time for me to step up and try to really engage in these cases. I mean, from all these cases we had, how many of them have I actually solved?"

"You figured that one with Meg." Sam answered.

"You practically did with the scarecrow." Dean said. "It's a fair point but you don't have to underestimate yourself."

"Am I?" I asked, sounding really curious.

"Maybe you are." Sam answered. "Look, I'm fine by the way you are now, but it would be a real improvement if you consider your 'stepping up'."

"I'm just still afraid of screwing up."

"Well, screwing up is just part of life so I'm gonna give you a straw for you to suck it up." Dean told me. "Look Sweetheart, don't be afraid to make mistakes. It's all part of it. Hell, I've made a lot of mistakes before and sometimes I'm happy that I did it."

I sighed. "Thanks, guys."

"So, are we ready?" Sam asked. I nodded and we slipped out of the Impala and went inside the auction house. We strolled inside, observing people and checking out the furniture. Then suddenly, a grey-haired man, wearing a suit, approached us.

"Can I help you?" He said.

Dean, chewing food he got from the serve platter, said. "Some champagne please?"

"He's not a waiter!" Sam scolded. After a few exchange of glances he introduced himself as Sam Connors. "This is my brother Dean and my sister, Charley. We're art dealers from Connors Ltd."

"You're art dealers." The man said.

"That's right." Sam actually said the truth.

"I'm Daniel Blake, this is my auction house. Now, this is a private show and I don't remember seeing you in the guest list."

"Ah! We're there, chuckles. Just take another look." Dean said. And when he saw a waiter with champagne on the tray, he took one and said, "Finally!"

We just smiled at the man and Sam muttered, "Cheers!"

We proceeded with our search, although I really have no idea what we're looking for. I saw furniture with "Telesca" written on its tag.

"Guys, look!" I pointed at the tag. "Telesca Estate."

My brothers immediately turned and looked at it. Never did I realize that the other furniture within our range belonged to them. I proceeded to look for something weird in their furniture. Vases, candelabras, statues and figurines, none. I decided to go back to my brothers, and when I turned to look at them, they were talking to a woman.

"Guys," I said walking towards them.

"Uh, Sarah, this is Charley." Sam said introducing me to the woman.

"Charley, this is Sarah."

"Hey." I greeted her. She smiled back.

"So you're their-" She started to say.

"Sister. I'm their sister." I answered immediately to avoid any confusions.

When they started talking, I noticed a painting behind Sam. It was a family portrait. I admit it was creepy, so I walked towards it and observed. I don't know if it's me or the painting was creepy but it really haunted me.

"Charley, time to go." Sam guided me along. I took a last look at the painting.

"Sam." He looked at me. "Never mind." I dismissed the thought of telling him. I'll just do that later. We arrived at the motel shortly after our drive from the auction house. The room we rented, it was... groovy. It was funny, actually, but we just went with it.

"As long as we have a place to stay." I sighed. As we unpacked our bags, Sam and Dean engaged into a conversation, something about Provenance.

"It's like a biography." Sam explained. "You know, we can use them to see if we can track the history of the pieces."

"We can't get anything from Chuckles, but Sarah…" Dean puffed as he took an approving look at Sam.

"Yeah, maybe we could get her write it down on a cocktail napkin." Sam replied.

"Not me." Dean remarked.

"No, no, no, no." Sam said immediately.

"Guys, I'm not following." I commented.

"It wasn't my butt she's checking out." Dean remarked again.

"You want me to use her to get information." Sam said.

"Sometimes, you gotta take hold for the team." Dean responded. "Sammy's got a date." He told me.

"Who? Sarah?" I inquired. Sam rolled his eyes while Dean smirked. He took out his phone, handed it to Sam. "Here, call her."

After a couple of hours, Sam left, wearing a suit. He looked handsome by the way, God bless the Winchester genes.

"So, it's just you and me." I told Dean.

"Well, we better have some rest." He said.

"The painting." I said.

"What about it?" Dean asked.

"That's the question." I remarked. "It creeps the hell out of me, Dean."

"That makes two of us." He replied. "Look, let's just hope that Sam brings those providences."

"Provenances." I corrected him.

"Yeah, whatever." He rolled his eyes at me.

Sam came back around 11 in the evening, bringing those provenances from Sarah.

"So she just handed those providences over to you, huh?" Dean asked, while sharpening his knife. I can't imagine why he cannot even say the right word.

"Provenances." Sam corrected him.

"Provenances... Proven-" Dean stammered, correcting himself. I bit back a laugh.

"Yes," He replied. "We went back to her place, got a copy of the papers."

"Just that?" I asked.

"Just what?" Sam eyed me.

"I'm just screwing with you, Sam." I smiled.

"And?" Dean said, he's still searching Sam for answers.

"Nothing, I left." Sam told him.

Still, Dean was unsatisfied so he pressed again. Until Sam spoke, "Dean, would you get your head out of the gutter please?"

Dean laughed. "You know, when all of this is over, we could stick around for a little bit."

"I agree. I totally do." I commented.

"Why?" Sam questioned, studying the papers.

"So you could take her out again."

"Sam, it's obvious. We could totally see that you're into her." I giggled.

"'Kay, alright." He said. "I think I got something here."

Immediately, Dean and I walked towards him. Sam handed us the papers.

"Portraits of Isaiah Merchant's family, painted 1910." Dean read.

"Too old." I commented.

"I compared the names of the owners to Dad's journal." Sam explained. I grabbed the paper from Dean and checked it with Dad's journal.

"First purchased in 1912 by Peter Simms." I said, Sam pointed on a page in the journal. I took a look and read. "Peter Simms was murdered in 1912."

"Same thing in 1945." I continued, checking all the accounts of the owners comparing it to Dad's entry. "Wow. A lot of people were killed by this freaking portrait."

"Then stored." Sam stated. "Until it was donated to a charity auction last month, where the Telescas bought it."

"Which explains why it's on the run again." I replied.

"So, what do you think it's haunted or cursed?"

"Either way, let's toast." Dean said.

"So, we are barging in?" It came out as a question. We were still inside the Impala, Dean driving.

"No." He said. "We are barging in, you are staying in the car."

"I think that's really unfair." I said.

"It's not." Sam said. "We just really need a look-out."

"We can't let the cops catch us." Dean added. "Plus you can enjoy the driver's seat and the music."

"Bribery, sexism." I grunted. "What more can I ask?"

They just smiled and slid off the car. I crawled into the front seat and turned the stereo on and Bon Jovi sang. I turned the volume down so I could still hear noises outside. Praying that my brothers wouldn't get in deep trouble, I calmed my nerves as I sang to Bon Jovi. After around 4 songs, they came back.

"It's done?" I asked.

"Yeah, let's get out of here." Sam said, riding shotgun. Dean slid into the backseat.

"Well?" Dean asked. "Tell me, Charley. You do know how to drive a car, am I right?"

"Uhuh." I said. "You taught me."

"So why are we not moving?" He demanded.

"Charley, start the damn car before we get caught." Sam hissed.

"Oh." Right, I was in the driver's seat. "You want me to drive? The Impala? Your baby? You want me to really drive your baby?" I asked Dean, beaming.

"Charley. Now." Dean barked.

I immediately started the engine. The Impala purred, the next thing I know, I was driving it.

The next morning, Dean was in such hurry. Apparently, he lost his wallet and he may have dropped it in the warehouse last night. We immediately drove back to the auction house and searched for it.

"How did you lose your wallet, Dean?" Sam sneered. Dean just shrugged.

"Hey guys!" Suddenly Sarah was there. And we immediately turned and offered her a smile.

"Sarah," Sam greeted. "Hey!"

"What are you doing here?" She asked.

"We.. we were leaving town and we came to say goodbye." He responded.

'Really, Sam?' I thought.

"What are you talking about, Sam?" Dean exclaimed. "We're sticking around for at least a day or two."

I saw Sarah's eyes light up.

"Oh, by the way," Dean said, reaching for his pocket, producing his wallet and fished out some money. "Let me give the 20 bucks I owe you. There you go." He handed Sam the money. "Well, I'll leave you two crazy kids. Charley and I will be working on something... somewhere." He tugged me along and we walked away.

"Say, Dean." I started. "Your wallet was inside your pocket all along."

"Yeah."

"And you used it as an alibi for Sam to see Sarah again."

"Yeah."

"And you wasted money and gas and time for that."

"Yeah."

"Well, I think you have a good heart." I told him. "Honestly, you're the best. You are a great brother, Dean."

"Oh, honey." He replied. "I'm sorry to break it to you but I don't do chick-flick moments."

"Yeah, me too." I said. "I'm really just an honest person."

We laughed as we slid inside the Impala and waited for Sam.

"You think Sam's on the move?" He asked me.

"20 bucks says he'll reach first base." I marveled.

"You're on." He said, getting out of the car. "So on."

After a few minutes, my brothers went inside at the same time. I swear, these guys were literally synchronized.

"I don't understand, Dean." Sam said. "We burned the damn thing."

"Yeah, thank you Captain Obvious." Dean snapped.

"Problemo, amigos?" I asked.

"The painting." Sam explained. "Turns out it wasn't destroyed."

"What?" I exclaimed. "I knew it."

"Knew what?" Sam asked.

"The first time I saw that painting back there, I knew there was something strange about it." I explained.

"See?" Sam smiled. "Winchester genes."

"We need to find another way to destroy it." Dean said. "Any ideas?"

Sam discussed some lores about haunted paintings, that it's the subject that haunts it. So we needed to find intels about the painting and the family. We went to the library and had gone to find anything about Isaiah Merchant and his family. The local librarian helped us get information by giving us some news clippings about the Merchants. He presented us an issue of The New Paltz Standard, dated April 16, 1912. He pointed to an article, to which Dean agreed.

"Father slaughters family, kills self." I read the title aloud. "Creepy."

"The whole family was killed?" Sam wondered.

"It seems that Isaiah slits his kids' throat, and his wife and himself." The man spoke. "And he was a barber by trade, used a straight razor."

"Why'd he do it?" Sam asked.

The man read the article aloud, told us that Isaiah Merchant had a harsh temper and that they adopted a child. One day, his wife was going to take the children on a leave but it seem that Isaiah didn't like it so he killed his family.

"Did it say what happened to the bodies?" Dean asked.

"Just that they were all cremated."

Dean gave us a look. Sam dismissed it, I fidgeted. Ugh! How are we supposed to destroy the damn thing when there are no bones to burn?

"Anything else?" Sam asked, sighing.

"Yeah," He said, rummaging to the piles of paper. He opened a hardbound book. "I actually have a picture of the family here somewhere." He showed us the picture. It was indeed the haunted portrait of the Merchant Family.

I noticed Sam looking at the picture intently, then he spoke to the man. "Hey, can we get a copy of this?"

"Uh, yeah. Sure."

The man went to the photocopy machine and reproduced us a copy. After our trip to the library, we headed back to the motel. Just as we settled inside, Sam spoke.

"There's something wrong with the painting." He said.

"Tell me something I don't know." I retorted.

"No, I mean it has moved."

"What?" Dean asked.

"Look." He took out the photo and showed it to us. "I'm telling you guys, the painting in the auction house, Daddy looked down. The painting here, he's looking up. The painting has changed."

"Are you sure?" I asked him, he nodded. I took a seat beside him and looked at the picture again.

"So you're telling me, Daddy Dearest has been trapped in the painting, going out, seeking for his victims, like what he did to his family?" Dean asked.

"Yes! It seems like it." He assured. "But if his bones are already burnt, then how are we gonna stop him?"

"Uh well, if Isaiah's position changed, then some things in the painting change as well. Might've give us some clues."

"Like a Da Vinci Code?"

"I don't know."

"Maybe." I interjected. "That seems interesting."

"We should head out, check the painting again." Dean told us, walking towards his bed. "Which is a good thing, because you're going to see your girlfriend." He added to Sam. I nodded to Sam, smiling.

"Dude, enough already." Sam scolded. "You too, Charley."

"What?" Dean and I said at the same time.

"What?" Sam mocked. "Ever since we got here, you've been trying to pair me up with Sarah. Just back off, already!"

"Don't tell me for a second that you didn't like it." I told him. "It's obvious, Sam."

"She's right. You like her, she likes you, you're both consented adults. I can't see why that's a problem." Dean remarked.

"What's the point Dean? We'll just leave!" He ranted. "We always leave!"

He's right, even though he tries to build a relationship with Sarah, we'll just leave anyway. However, it's not really a bad thing to have some romantic and relaxing time with someone you like.

"Well, I'm not talking about marriage, Sam." Dean acknowledged.

"Yeah, cause I think you're too young for that." I added. "I mean, you've got to chill for some time, Sam. Have some good time. You've been through enough."

"I don't get it, why do you care if I hook up?"

"Maybe, you won't get cranky all the time." Dean beamed at him, I laughed. It was true, ever since we parted ways with Dad, he became more cranky.

"I'm sorry." I apologized to him for laughing. "But it's true."

"But, no seriously, Sam." Dean said, sitting up. "I don't just mean hooking up. This girl, she could be good for you."

"I really think that she's perfect for you, Sam." I told him glancing at Dean first, then finally at him, searching for his eyes. "Honestly."

Dean got serious for a moment, then he finally said, "I don't mean any disrespect, I'm sure this is about Jessica, right?" Sam looked at him. "I don't know what it's like to lose somebody like that, but I think she'd want you to be happy. Would she?" He added. Sam's eyes were watery. He was holding back his tears.

"Sam." I touched his forearm. "If the situation was reversed, I'm sure you'd want her to have happiness. You deserve it, Sam, so does Jessica, I know. Don't deprive yourself from that. Everyone deserves happiness. She really would want you to have that."

"Yeah, I know she would. " He smiled and nodded, and sighed. "Yeah, you're right. Part of it is about Jessica, but not the main part."

"What's it about?" Dean gave him a questioning look, but Sam didn't reply.

"Yeah, right." He rolled his eyes and lied down. "We still got to look at the painting, which means you still got to call Sarah, so." He trailed off. I watched Sam, as he took his phone, dialed Sarah and talked to her.

"Sarah, hey. It's Sam." I listened as he talked through the phone. Dean tried to get my attention and when he did, he gestured for me to recline on the bed also. We watched Sam smugly as he talked to Sarah.

"Smooth." Dean whispered jokingly to him.

"Leave him be." I scolded him, but he just grinned at me.

We continued to watch Sam, and then all of a sudden he stood up abruptly, like there was something wrong.

"What? Who did you sold it to? Sarah, I need an address right now." He said, locking his eyes at us, then he hung up.

"What is it?" I asked.

"Her father sold the painting to another buyer." He stated.

"Way to go, Chuckles." Dean rolled his eyes.

After a few minutes, Sam received a text from Sarah regarding the address. We immediately headed out and drove to the place. Pulling over, we saw Sarah's car already parked.

"Son of a bitch." Sam cursed as we got off the car. Sarah ran towards us.

"Sam, what's happening?" She asked.

"I told you, you shouldn't have come." He replied.

We bolted to the door. Dean tried to open it, but it was locked. He picked the lock as Sam checked the windows.

"I'll go around, check the back." I said, then left. I checked some of the windows, but they were also locked. When, I reached the back entrance, I checked if it was open. Unfortunately it wasn't so I forced myself to hit it, but it wasn't enough. Although, I don't have some mastery skills in lock-picking, I still tried it. After a few minutes of failing, I gave up. I peeked through the windows and I saw the woman sitting on the couch, covered in her own blood.

"Oh, God." I ran back to the front door and I noticed that it was open. They might be inside so I entered.

"Guys?" I called, walking straight inside. They were near the fireplace. "She's dead."

They looked at me. I nodded.

"No, no.." Sarah stammered. "Evelyn? It's Sarah Blake." She went near her and touched her shoulder.

"Sarah, don't." Dean tried to stop her. "Sarah!"

Then, Evelyn's head came off from her neck, just like she was beheaded. Sarah screamed like hell and Sam gathered her in his arms.

"Oh my God! Oh my... oh my..." She was panting and Sam guided her outside. Dean and I followed.

Outside, Sarah was still choking her sobs. Sam was sliding his palms up and down her back, soothing her, trying to calm her down.

"We need to get that bastard down." I stated. "Now."

"I know, but for now," Dean said. "We have to get Sarah home."

"Can you drive?" I asked her. "Of course not, not in your condition." I stole her from Sam and asked her to get in the passenger's seat of her car.

"I'm driving you home." I told her. "I'm driving her home." I told my brothers. Sam tried to argue, but I told him that Chuckles, I mean Mr. Blake might see them and throw a fit, or something. In the end, they permitted me to do so. Once I got inside Sarah's car, I asked for her keys. She gave it to me, wholeheartedly.

"Dean taught me how to drive, in case you were wondering." I told her. "He's a great driver and I'm a persevere student so, no worries. Just relax. Deep breaths, Sarah. Deep breaths."

"Thanks." She said as we started moving. After several minutes, we made it at her house. Inside the car, I asked her a favor to call the cops and report what happened excluding the fact that we were present.

"Sarah, please." I begged her. "You have to tell the cops that you found her alone."

She was unwilling at first, but after I told her that this was for Sam, she agreed. We got off and bid our goodbyes. As she was about to go inside, I called her.

"Sarah, wait!" She turned around and looked at me. "I just wanted to thank you."

"I should be the one saying that."

"No, I mean, for Sam." I gave her a smile.

"What about him?"

"You make him happy and it's been a long while since I saw him like that."

"Really?" I saw her eyes lit up despite of what happened earlier.

"Yep." I said. "And I think that you really are good for him. Although... never mind." I dismissed the thought of telling her that we'll just leave.

"You think so?"

"Uhuh. So, uh. Goodnight!" I waved at her, then she walked towards me and enveloped me into a hug.

"Thanks again, Charley." She said, releasing me.

"Just call us when you have problems." She nodded her head, smiling, and then she went inside. Then, I headed back to the motel.

That morning, Sam was pacing inside the room, Dean on the computer, just then we heard someone knocking. Sam opened the door. It was Sarah and she looked like she didn't even sleep.

"Hey, are you alright?" Sam asked her.

"No, actually." She said once she was inside. "I just lied to the cops and told them I went to Evelyn's... alone, and found her like that."

"Thank, God." I sighed.

"Thank you." Sam said, nodding.

"Don't thank me. I'm about to call them right back if you don't tell me what the hell is going on!" She asserted. "Who's killing these people?"

Sam glanced at Dean, he gave him a brief shrug. Then he glanced at me, I urged him.

"What." Sam said.

"What?" She asked, confused.

"It's not a who. It's what's killing those people." She was totally confused.

"Sarah, you saw the painting move."

"No. I was seeing things... it's impossible." She said, trying to sort it out.

"Yeah, welcome to our world." Dean remarked.

"Sarah, I know it's a lot to take in. Trust me, I wore the same reaction before, but it's going to be alright." I assured her.

"Sarah, I know that this sounds crazy but I think that the painting is haunted."

She smiled lightly. "You're joking." She was met by our silence. "You're not joking."

"Honey, I wish we were." I replied.

"God! The guys I go out with." She sighed.

"Sarah, think about it." Sam explained. "Evelyn, The Telescas. They both had the painting. And there were others before that, wherever this thing goes, people die, and we're just trying to stop it. And that's the truth."

"Well then, I guess you better show me." Sarah said confidently. "I'm coming with you."

"What? No!" Sam disagreed. "Sarah, you should just go home. This stuff could get dangerous. And... and I don't want you to get hurt."

I glanced at Dean, he was smiling. He caught me and I grinned at him, ear-to-ear.

"Look, guys. I know you're probably crazy, but if you're right about this." She explained. "But, my Dad and I, we sold that painting. We might've got these people killed. Look, I'm not saying that I'm not scared, because I'm scared as hell, but I'm not going to run and hide either." Then she walked towards the door, opened it and asked, "So are we guys going or what?"

"Sam." Dean said. "Marry that girl." He pointed at Sarah as she left.

"Totally rooting for you." I smiled.

"Let's just go." He said. "Okay?"

"Sammy's got a girlfriend." I sang as we went towards the car. We drove back to the Evelyn's house.

Once we were there, we tried to scoot inside carefully, so that no one would see us.

"Uh, isn't this a crime scene?" I heard Sarah ask.

"You already lied to the cops." Dean answered. "What's another ..."

When we managed to get inside, Sam had put the portrait down for us to examine. Dean fished out the original copy we got from the library and compared them. I peeked at his copy, everything seemed the same except for Isaiah.

"Sam, check it out." He suddenly said. "The razor, it's closed here, but it's open on that one." He pointed to us the razor in both paintings. He's right, they're different from each other.

"What are you, guys, looking for."

"Some differences." I said. "We're comparing the original portrait from this one." I pointed on both copies.

"The spirits are changing aspects of the painting. Maybe they're doing it for a reason." Dean explained.

"We're hoping that we could get more leads from this, thinking that maybe the other spirits are sending us a message or warning." I added.

"Hey, hey. Look at this." Sam called our attention. "The painting in the painting."

"It's like a crypt or mausoleums." Dean muttered.

"There's something written on the structure but, I can't read it." I ranted. "Do we have a magnifying glass or something?"

"Or something." Dean said, holding the ashtray and he used it as a magnifying glass.

"Awesome." I whispered.

"Merchant." Dean read it aloud.

After an hour of drive and walking, we reached the Merchant's mausoleum. The place was full of cobwebs, roaches and other things.

"Okay." I started talking. "This place is the creepiest place I've ever gone."

"I thought it was the Roosevelt Asylum?" Dean chuckled.

"Yeah, that too." The Roosevelt Asylum in Illinois was really creepy, although the ghost doctor was creepier.

"You went inside a haunted asylum?" Sarah asked.

"Yep. Haunted places, haunted everything." I beamed. "I'm not trying to scare you off, but we deal with demons and other creatures too."

"That's really not helping." She said.

"Okay, enough chit-chat." Dean dismissed. We looked around and searched for something worthy to look at.

"Okay," Sarah was looking at a porcelain doll. "That right there is the creepiest I've ever seen."

"I told you, this place was creepy." I was growing nervous.

"That was sort of a tradition." Sam explained. "Whenever a child dies, they preserve the child's favorite toy in a glass case, next to their urn."

"Notice anything strange here?" Dean asked.

"Uh, where do I start?" Sarah remarked.

"We have been dealing on that description for some time now, yes?" I turned to Sarah and she nodded. Then I looked at my brothers, Sam smiling at Sarah and Dean knitting his eyebrows.

"No, that's not what I mean." He spoke in a serious tone. "Look at the urns." That was when I noticed that the urns were only four, instead of five.

"They're only four." Sam voiced out my thoughts.

"Yeah, Mom and the three kids." Dean agreed. "Daddy dearest isn't here."

"So where is he?" Sam left a cliffhanger question.

We decided to double check the records, death certificates and records, and by 'we', I meant Dean and I. We left Sam and Sarah outside. I searched the office database through the computer, while Dean scanned the hard copies. I typed 'Isaiah Merchant' in the search box and nothing came out.

"Hey," I called Dean. "When did they die again?"

"1912." He replied.

So I typed 'Isaiah Merchant, 1912' on the search box and a result came up. I clicked on the file and checked it. I scanned the file, until I came across the word, "buried".

"Dean?" I called. "It says that he was buried in the cemetery."

He checked the file and told me to print a copy. I produced two copies of it and after that, we went outside. We saw that Sam and Sarah were talking, walking towards them, we can't help but overhear their conversation.

"I'm not talking about a broken heart," I heard Sam say. "I'm talking about life and death."

"And tomorrow I could get hit by a bus, that's what life is." Sarah told him. Wow, I really like this girl. "Look, I know losing somebody you love is terrible, you shut yourself off. Believe me, I know. But when you shut out pain, you shut out everything else too."

"Dean, I don't think we should." I told him.

"Yeah. you're right." He tugged me along as we walked towards them.

"Dean!"

"Am I interrupting something?" He asked them.

"No." Sam said.

"None at all." Sarah answered.

"Huh, apparently." He commented.

"So, what did you get?" Sam asked.

"Apparently, the surviving relatives of the Merchant Family were so ashamed of Isaiah, so they handed him over to the county."

"Turned out that he wasn't cremated, but instead, he was buried." I finished.

"So, there are bones to burn." Sam remarked.

"There are bones to burn." Dean and I said in unison.

"Tell me you know where." Sam said and we grinned.

After almost an hour of digging Isaiah Merchant's grave, Sarah said, "You guys, seem to be uncomfortably comfortable with this."

"This isn't exactly the first grave we dug." Sam responded.

We proceeded to salt and burn the remnants of Isaiah Merchant's body. Then we rode back to Evelyn's house and pulled over.

"I thought the painting was harmless now?" Sarah asked.

"Better safe than sorry." Sam told her.

"I wanna come with you." She said.

"Are you sure?" He asked. She nodded and got off the backseat.

"Hey, hey, hey!" Dean called Sam just as he was about to get off. "We'll stay here, you go make your move." Sam glared at him.

"Sam? I'm serious!" He told him, then Sam left to follow Sarah. I never laughed so hard in my life.

"That was good, Dean." I said, clutching my tummy.

"Shut up." He said turning the stereo on.

"Dumbass." I laughed.

From the outside, I saw Sam telling him to cut the music off. I leaned over to turn the music up and smiled at Sam. He gave us sharp looks. Dean sighed and turned it off. Sam and Sarah proceeded to enter. After a few minutes, I felt the temperature drop.

"Uh, Dean?" I called his attention. "Can you feel that?"

"Uhuh." He said, then we saw the front door swing close in a loud bang. Immediately, we went towards the house. Dean tried to open the door as I knocked hard, calling Sam and Sarah's attention.

"Dean! Hey!" It was Sam from the other side.

"Are you alright?" I asked him. "Sam? Sarah?"

Then Dean's cell rang. It was Sam.

"Move aside, I'll slam the front door." I heard Dean say, then paused. "The girl? What girl?"

"Son of a bitch." I cursed.

"Well, I'm trying to pick the lock." Dean continued talking to Sam. I racked my brain to recap and think of all the other possibilities regarding the girl from the painting.

"Dean, it wasn't Isaiah." I froze. "It's the girl."

"Sam? Just hang on. Go find some salt and iron." He told Sam, then he turned to me. "Go around the back, see if you can get inside."

I ran around until I reached the back door. I slammed my body towards it, but it wouldn't budge. I stopped for a second and tried to think. No bones to burn, no cursed objects too. The razor was from the painting. What else from the painting? The girl holding the doll. The girl with the doll. The doll.

"The doll!" That was when I realized that old dolls were made in replica of the owner, using even their own hair. I scrambled back into the front door, then I realized that Dean and the Impala weren't there.

"Sam?" I shouted. "Are you alright? Where's Dean?"

"Charley?" Sam answered. "He went to the cemetery to destroy the doll."

I relaxed for a bit, bearing the fact that they solved it. Then I heard some loud crashing sound.

"Guys!" I called. "Are you alright?" Ugh. I feel useless. I ran towards the glass window and used all my strength to smash it. Bits of glasses were dangling on my skin.

"Sam! Sarah!" I saw Sarah being thrown to the wall. Sam was on the floor. The girl was holding the razor, walking towards Sarah.

"Come on, Dean. Burn the damn thing." I prayed. "Come on, come on, come on!"

The girl was holding the razor up in the air, ready to swing it and slice Sarah's throat open, but then, just as she was about to perform it, she disintegrated into ashes. Leaving Sarah and my brother alive.

"Guys." I called.

"Charley." Sam smiled at me. I moved back to the front door and opened it. I entered and ran towards them. I pulled out my handkerchief and gave it to Sarah. Her lip was bleeding. Then, Sam's cell rang. It was Dean.

"Not bad." He told him.

The next morning, Sam and I met up with Sarah at the auction house, while Dean went out to check some records. After few minutes, he met us there.

"This archive in the county records. The Merchants adopted a daughter." He explained. "Wanna know why she was adopted? 'Cause her real family were murdered in their beds."

"She killed them?" Sarah asked.

"Yeah. Didn't expect her, sweet little girl." He answered. "So she kills Isaiah and his family, Daddy takes blame. Spirits were trying to warn us ever since."

The Merchant Family portrait was being packed up by two men. I assumed that Sarah will have it destroyed.

"Where does this one go?" The man asked.

"Take it all and burn it." Sarah ordered. The men were stunned. "I'm serious, guys. Thanks."

"So why did the girl do it?" She asked us.

"Killing others, killing herself. Some people are just born tortured. So when they die. their spirits are just as dark." Sam answered.

"Clearly, I don't really care." Dean remarked. "It's over, we move on."

"I.. uh..." Sarah stuttered. "I guess this means you're leaving."

"Come on, Dean." I spoke to him softly.

"We'll go wait in the car." He told them. I pushed him away from them so that they could have the chance to talk before we leave.

"I burned the doll, destroyed the spirit, but don't thank me or anything." He muttered.

"Aw, you poor thing." I said as a choked a laugh. "You'll get your own."

We waited for Sam outside, sitting in the trunk of the Impala. After some time, the door burst open. Sam came outside, leaving Sarah behind. I climbed down the trunk and opened the backseat door, and then, for a moment I thought I was dreaming but it was true. Sam and Sarah were kissing.

"That's my boy." I heard Dean say, and he slid in the driver's seat. I followed him and tapped him on his back.

"You owe me twenty bucks." I chimed.


	6. Chapter 6- Dead Man's Blood

Chapter 6- Dead Man's Blood

Sam, Dean and I were sitting inside a diner, having breakfast. Just one typical scenario. Sam on the laptop; Dean and I, scanning the newspapers.

"Alright guys," Dean spoke. "None of these lead to anything. What do you got?"

"Well, it's got Wyoming, Colorado, South Dakota." Sam responded. "Here, A woman in Iowa fell ten thousand feet from an airplane and survived." He read.

"Sounds more like 'That's Incredible' than 'Twilight zone'." Dean replied.

"What about this, 'Husband stabbed his wife thirty-three times in the head." I suggested. "That's crazy."

"Huh." Dean puffed. "Hey, you know, we could just go to New York, Upstate. Stop by and see Sarah again." He turned to Sam. That wasn't exactly a bad idea though. It can give us a few more chances to rest. "What do you say?" He finally asked.

"I don't know, man. Maybe someday." Sam replied. "In the meantime, we've got a lot of work to do."

Dean rolled his eyes. "So what else do you got?"

"Manning, Colorado. A local man by the name Daniel Elkins, said he was found mauled in his home."

"Elkins, I know that name." Dean muttered.

"You do?" I asked.

"It doesn't ring a bell." Sam said. Dean took out Dad's journal from his bag. "Sounds like the police don't know what to think. First, they said he was attacked by a bear and now, they found signs of robbery." Sam continued.

"If that's our kind of crap, why would any supernatural being rob him?" I asked.

"I don't know. There are others out there who are possessive." Sam replied.

Dean was scanning Dad's journal, then he spoke, "Here, look at this."

Elkins's number was written on Dad's journal, along with others.

"You think it's the same Elkins?" I asked him.

"It's the Colorado Area Code." He replied.

We all stared at each other for a while and we decided to check it out.

"Do you think he and Dad know each other?" I asked.

"Maybe." Sam replied. "He clearly had his number written on Dad's journal."

As we reached Elkins's cabin, Sam picked the lock and we entered. His house was a mess. A great one.

"Looks like the maid didn't come today." Dean joked.

We looked around for anything out of the ordinary.

"Hey!" Sam called our attention. "There's salt over here, right beside the door."

"You mean 'protection against demon salt' or 'whoops, I spilled the popcorn' salt?" Dean inquired as we approached Sam.

"That's clearly a ring of salt." I said.

"Do you think this guy, Elkins, was a player?" Sam asked.

"Definitely." Dean replied. He stood beside a desk, scanning pages from a journal.

"That looks a hell of a lot like Dad's." Sam commented.

"Yes. Except this dates back to the 60's."

"Obviously, he's older than Dad." I said.

We continued to search the cabin. Clearly, it showed signs of forced entry and robbery.

"You got something?" Sam asked as Dean crouched on the floor.

"I dunno. Some scratches on the floor."

"Death throes, maybe?" Sam asked. Dean grabbed a sheet of paper. It was a page from a notebook and placed it over the marks as he rubbed a pencil over it to get engravings.

"Or maybe a message." Dean spoke. He handed the paper over to Sam. "Look familiar?"

"Three letters, six-digits. A location and combination of a post office box. It's a mail drop." Sam answered.

"Just the way Dad does it." Dean replied.

"That is so cool." I remarked.

We made our way into the post office that same night. Dean found the post office box and opened it. Inside the box was a letter. We stared at each other for a second before we decided to look at the envelope and its content.

Dean suggested that we open it inside the Impala.

"J.W. You think? John Winchester?" Sam asked, even though we know what the answer may be.

"I don't know." Dean said, a bit nervous. "Should we open it?"

"I guess so." I said. Out of nowhere, a knock on Dean's window startled us. He looked outside and I was surprised by the word that came out from his mouth.

"Dad?" He said. Then, the backseat door on my left opened, revealing the one and only John Winchester standing outside. I scooted a little to give him space as he sank into the backseat beside me.

"Dad, what are you doing here? Are you alright?" Sam asked.

"Where have you been, Dad? We've been worrying about you. Bigtime." I told him. He gave us a quick smile and spoke, "Yeah, I'm okay. I read the news about Daniel, I got here as fast as I could. I saw you three at his place."

"Why didn't you come in, Dad?" Sam wondered.

"I had to make sure you weren't followed... by anyone or anything." He stated. "Nice job covering your tracks by the way."

"Yeah, we learned from the best." Dean said proudly.

"So, you came all the way out here for this Elkins guy?" Sam asked.

"I think he's a friend of yours, Dad." I said. "Is he?"

"Yeah. He was... he was a good man." Dad explained. "He taught me a hell of a lot about hunting."

"You never mentioned him to us." Sam said.

"We had a..." Dad trailed off, stopping for a while then continued, "We had kind of falling out. I hadn't seen him in years." He gestured at the envelope Dean was holding.

"I should look at that." Dean gave it to him and he opened it and started reading. "'If you're reading this, I'm already dead... that son of a bitch."

"What is it?" I asked him, searching answers on his face.

"He had it the whole time."

"Dad, what?" Sam pressed.

"When you searched the place, did you see a gun. An antique, a colt revolver, did you see it?" He asked us.

"Ah, there was an old case but it was empty." Dean answered.

"Dad, the whole place was a mess. Whoever trespassed inside may have it." I told him.

"They have it." He muttered.

"You mean whatever killed Elkins?" Dean asked, confused.

Dad started to get out of the car as he told us, "We gotta pick up the trail."

"Whoa, Dad. Slow down a bit." I said, trying to ease off the tension.

"Wait, you want us to come with you?" Sam asked him.

"If Elkins was telling the truth, then we gotta find this gun." He replied.

"The gun," Sam said. "Why?"

"Because that's important, that's why." He remarked.

"Dad, we don't even know what these things are yet." Sam spoke.

"They were what Daniel Elkins killed best." He explained. "Vampires."

"Vampires?" Dean and I spoke at the same time.

"Like Kiefer Sutherland Vampire or Dracula Vampire?" I asked.

"I thought there was no such thing?" Dean wondered.

"You never mentioned them Dad." Sam said.

"I thought they were extinct." He explained. "I thought Elkins and the others had wiped them out. I was wrong."

Dad, then, gave us a crash course about Vampires. He told us that most vampire lores are crap. He explained that crucifix won't repel them and that they won't be killed by sunlight, and neither a stake to the heart. He said that the blood lust that they feel is the only part that is true. I've heard of vampires before but, of course, I never believed in their existence. Not until I engaged into this kind of lifestyle that I started questioning the mere possibility that every creature or monster I feared when I was child could exist.

After our Vampire 101 lecture from Dad, we stopped in a nearby motel to crash. After a few hours of sleep, I felt someone slapping my leg.

"Ughh." I moaned.

"Sam, Dean, Charley. Let's go." Dad spoke. I sat up, and rubbed my eyes.

"What is it?" I asked.

"I picked up a police call." He said.

"What happened?" Sam asked.

"A couple called 911, found a body in the street. Cops got there everyone was missing. It's the vampires." He explained.

"How do you know?" Sam asked.

"Yeah, Dad? How?" I asked him. "Did you even try to get some sleep?"

"Just follow me, okay?" He said, leaving the room. We immediately grabbed our bags and followed.

"Huh, Vampires." Dean chuckled, still half-asleep. "Get's funnier everytime I hear it."

"Come on, man." I grabbed him and led him outside.

We drove to a crime scene and once we got out the car, Dad talked to the police officers while the three of us hang out far from the commotion. Turned out that the police had received a 911 call from a couple, who reported that they saw a man lying in the middle of the road, unsure whether he was still alive.

"I don't see why we couldn't have gone over with him." Sam said.

"Oh, don't tell me it's already starting." Dean rolled his eyes.

"What's starting?" Sam asked him, I already knew what Dean meant by that.

Just then, Dad walked back towards us.

"What do you got?" Dean asked.

"It was them alright," Dad answered. "Looks like they're heading west."

"How can you be so sure?" Sam asked him. He still had his doubts about the case that Dad was leading us into.

"Sam." Dean warned him.

"I just want to know that we're heading in the right direction." He defended.

I just kept my mouth shut, but I can see the tension rising between Sam and Dad.

"We are." Dad replied.

"How do you know?" Sam pressed.

"I found this." Dad took something out of his pocket. I took a peek and saw that it was a sharp white stone. Oh, wait... No, it was a canine tooth, a fang maybe?

"What is it? A vampire fang?" Dean wondered, holding the tooth.

"No fangs, teeth." Dad pointed out. "The second set descends when they attack."

"So vamps have another set of teeth?" I wondered aloud. "All this time I thought their canines just become elongated or whatever."

"Anymore questions?" Dad asked us, Sam in particular. Nobody spoke. "Alright, let's get out of here, we're losing daylight." He ordered.

"And, Dean, why don't you touch up your car, before you get rust?" Dad told Dean. "I wouldn't have given you the damn thing, if I thought you were gonna ruin it."

Just then, Sam and I chuckled, and slid inside the Impala.

"Vampires nest in groups of 8 to 10." Dean explained to us. Sam was driving and I was in my usual space, the backseat. We're following after Dad's car. "Smaller packs are sent out to hunt for food. Victims are taken to the nest where the pack keeps them alive, bleeding them for days or weeks. I wonder if that's what happened to that 911 couple."

"Man, that's brutal." I commented. "Hey, did you ever hunt werewolves?"

"I don't even know if they actually exist." Dean said.

"Apparently, Vampires do." I reminded him. "Fat chance that they exist."

"What's the connection?" He asked me.

"Ever heard of Underworld?" Seriously, have they been living under a rock? "You know, Kate Beckinsale... Vampires versus Werewolves..."

He shook his head.

"Oh my god." I laughed.

"Shut it, guys." Sam scolded. "You know, that's probably what Dad's thinking." And now, we're back to the topic.

"Of course, it would be nice if he just told us what he thinks." Sam continued, muttering.

"Still having some trust issues?" I asked him, but I was answered by silence.

"So it is starting." Dean said.

"What?" Sam asked innocently. And here we go.

"Sam, we've been looking for Dad all year. Now we're not with him for more than a couple of hours and there's static already." He noted. I nodded.

"No." Sam assured. "Look, I'm happy he's okay, all right, and I'm happy that we're all working together."

"Good." Dean commented.

"It's like the way he treats us like we're children." Sam started to whine, well not really whine, but I could see that he's frustrated.

"We are his children." I pointed out.

"Yeah, but we're not kids anymore. We're legally aged-"

"Good for you." I cut him off.

"Oh, God." I heard Dean mutter.

"He barks order at us, he expects us to follow him without any questions asked." Despite our eye-rolling, Sam continued anyway. "He keeps us in some crap need-to-know deal."

"He does what he does for a reason." Dean defended Dad.

"What reason?" Sam asked him, almost yelling.

"Our job!" Dean pointed out. "There's no time to argue, there's no margin for error, alright? It's just the way the old man runs things."

"Yeah, well, maybe that worked when we were kids, but not anymore alright?" Sam said. "Not after everything you and I went together, Dean. Are you telling me you're cool with just falling into line and letting him run the whole show?"

"I could be." I muttered. Sam looked at me in the rearview mirror. Answering his questioning glare, I answered, "At least I get to spend some time with him."

"If that's what it takes." I heard Dean answer Sam's question. Sam shook his head in disgust.

After hours and hours spent on driving, Dad finally called. He said he'd closed in our target and ordered us to follow through.

"Pull off the next exit." Dean told Sam.

"Why?" Sam retorted.

"Cause Dad thinks we got the vampire's trail." He replied.

"How?" Sam asked again. Seriously, why the twenty questions? Oh, right, because he's Sam Winchester.

"I don't know, he didn't say."

Sam pressed the gas pedal then immediately we shoot off forward.

"Sam! What the hell!" I screamed.

Then, just as we had overtaken Dad's truck, Sam blocked Dad and pulled over.

"Holy shit!" I cursed as Sam pulled the car over so damn hard I hit my head in the window.

"Oh, crap. Here we go." Dean muttered. "Charley, you okay?"

"Yep, except for the fact that I pretty much slammed my head in the window." I told him. "Come along, Dean. Let's watch this show.." I slid off the backseat. Dean followed me.

"Or we could stop them before they end up killing each other." He rolled his eyes. "Sam!" Dean called at him but he and Dad were already walking towards each other.

"What the hell was that?" Dad demanded. I could see that he was furious.

"We need to talk." Sam stated.

"About what?" Dad snarled at him. They were standing almost chin to chin.

"About everything." Sam snarled back. "Where are we going, Dad? What's the big deal about this gun?"

"Sam, come on." I tried to pry him away from Dad, but he threw my arms away.

"Sammy, come on! We can Q & A after we kill the vampires." Dean spoke.

"Your brother's right." Dad told Sam. "We don't have time for this."

"Last time we saw you, you said it was too dangerous to be together." Sam almost yelled at his face. I could see his anger, they way he lashed it out on Dad's face. "Now, out of the blue you need our help!"

"Sam, please." I begged him to stop. "We could do this afterwards. Come on, someone out there might be dying and we ought to help them."

He ignored me anyways. "Obviously something big's going down, and we want to know what!" He demanded.

"Get back in the car." Dad spoke, his face stone hard.

"No."

"I said get back in the damn car."

"Yeah, and I said no."

"Alright, you made your point, tough guy." Dean said. "Look, we're all tired. We could talk about this later."

He grabbed Sam towards the car. "Sammy, I mean it. Come on."

"This is why you left me in the first place." He muttered.

"What did you say?" Dad asked him, taunting.

"You heard me." Sam answered back.

"Dad, please stop." I put my hand on his shoulder. He just looked at me, then right back at Sam.

"Yeah, you left." He said. "Your brother and me, we needed you. You walked away, Sam. You walked away!" He yelled at his face.

"Stop it both of you!" Dean shouted.

"You're the one who said, 'don't come back', Dad." Sam accused him. "You were the one who closed that door, not me! You were just pissed off you couldn't control me anymore!"

"Stop it, stop it." Dean placed himself between them. "Stop it! That's enough!"

The three of them were panting, catching their breaths. I just stood there, feeling a sudden wave of emotions, emotions I couldn't explain, crash through me. I don't know, whether to sob, cry or laugh. I feel the sudden urge to run away, away from all of this. Away from this friggin' life. I moved, walking slowly, with nowhere to go. I just needed to move away, to breathe some air. The middle of the road was too suffocating for me and the four of us. I could feel the tears building up in my eyes. I closed my eyes and let the tears fall down. Then, I started to run.

"Charley!" I heard someone call. I'm not sure whether it was Dean or Sam or Dad. I ignored it. I just need some minute of solitude, to contemplate, to breathe. After a few minutes, I stopped, clutching my chest. I could feel my lungs burning because of the lack of air. I slowly drew my breath, then I collapsed to the ground. I closed my eyes and I inhaled. Exhaled. I did that for a few seconds. I opened my eyes, then I continued to cry.

"Charley." It was Dean. I sensed that he was behind me. "Sweetie, come on." He gathered me in his arms. Then I cried harder. I never have cried so much in my whole life.

"Shhhh. It's okay, baby." He ran his palms up and down my back, calming me down.

"I'm sorry." I muttered. "Your shirt's wet."

"You ready?" He asked. "We gotta hit the road now."

I nodded.

"We'll talk later, okay?"

I smiled at him.

It was around 6 in the morning when we arrived to the vampire's nesting grounds. We settled behind some trees as we observed them from a far.

"Son of a bitch." Dean cursed. "So they're really not afraid of the sun?"

"Nah, direct sunlight hurts like a nasty sunburn." Dad explained. "The only way to kill them is by beheading."

"And yeah, they sleep during the day." He continued. "It doesn't mean they won't wake up."

"So I guess walking right in is not our best option." Dean replied.

"Actually, that's the plan." Dad stated.

"Whoa, wait a sec." I was caught off guard. "That's suicide. I mean, what if they wake up?"

"We fight." Dad said calmly. "You wanna come or not?" He asked me.

"I'll go." I told him.

We made our way back to our cars and we made ourselves ready. Dean and Sam immediately headed to the trunk of the Impala, so did Dad with his car.

"So tell me, what kind of weapon do we exactly need?" I asked them.

"This." Dean showed me a sword. "Hey Dad, I have an extra machete, if you need one."

Oh. Machete, cool.

"Think I'm okay. Thanks." He said, showing us his.

"Wow." It was the only word Dean could come up with.

"So, you guys," Dad started to speak. "You really want to know about this colt?"

"Yes, sir." Sam replied.

Then, he stated to tell us everything he knew about the colt. He said that it was Samuel Colt who made the gun back in 1835. They said he made it specifically for a hunter, like us. Samuel Colt made 13 bullets, and that he used it for half a dozen times. Dad said he couldn't believe the existence of the gun until he read Daniel Elkins's letter.

"They say, this gun could kill anything." He finished.

"Kill anything, like supernatural anything?" Dean asked.

"Like the demon." Sam spoke.

"Yeah, the demon." Dad affirmed. "Ever since, I picked up its trail, I've been looking for a way to destroy that thing. Find the gun... we may have it."

The three of us looked at each other, not knowing what to say. However, we knew what to do.

Walking slowly towards the target place, which looked like an old barn anyways, Dad was the first one to go, followed by Sam, then me. Dean was the last one in the line. We made our entrance through a window. We walked inside as slowly and quietly as possible. The vamps were sleeping, thank God for that. Dad went in a different direction, he planned to take the gun, which left the three of us there. Easing our way inside, we tiptoed. Then, I heard a sound and turned towards it. It was Dean, I gave him a sharp look. He held his finger near his lips then he signaled me to walk further. I followed Sam, then we discovered a woman tied into a pole, with blood in her clothes.

"Oh my god." I whispered.

"Dean." Sam whispered aloud. I gestured for him to come closer. He walked towards us, then we heard a crashing noise. I looked around to see if any of the vamps have awakened, but there were none.

"There's more." Dean muttered.

Sam and I untied the woman, as Dean jammed the padlock from the cage to free the others. After a few seconds, I saw the woman stir.

"Hey," Sam whispered. "We're here to help you,"

"Shh, it's okay. We're not going to hurt you." I told her, but then I was surprised as she let out a growl. The vampires have awakened, leaving the three of us in trouble.

"Shit." I cursed, clutching my machete.

"Guys, run!" I heard Dad yell.

"Dad!" We called him as we shot off running. The vampires were behind us. I'm not sure if they got some super speed abilities or something but I was hoping they don't. We ran off the woods, heading towards the car, then I realized Dad wasn't following us.

"Where's Dad?" I asked.

"Dad?!" Dean called. "Dad?" Then after a few minutes, we saw him running towards us.

"They won't follow." He told us. "They'll wait till tonight. Once a vampire get's your scent, it's for life."

"Incredible." I muttered.

"What the hell do we do now?" Dean asked.

"You got to find the nearest funeral home, that's what." He said and we shot him a questioning look.

Dean decided to look for the funeral home while the three of us stayed back in the motel room. I told him I'd help him but he disagreed and told me to take some rest.

"It's taking so long. I should have been there to help." Sam said after a few hours of waiting.

"Dean's got it." Dad assured him. The reason why I wanted to go with Dean was because I really don't want to witness another testosterone battle between Sam and Dad. Sam was pacing the room while Dad was on the desk along with his paper works. I was standing in the kitchen, leaning on the sink, watching them.

"Sammy." Dad called him. Here we go.

"Yeah?" Sam stopped pacing and faced him.

"I don't think I ever told you this, but the day you were born, you know what I did?"

"No." He said.

"I put 100 bucks into a savings account for you." He replied. "I did the same thing for your brother. You too, Charley." He addressed at me. "It was a college fund. And every month, I'd put in another hundred dollars until..."

"Anyway, my point is, Sam," Dad continued. "That, this is never the life that I wanted for you."

"Then why'd you get so mad when I left?"

"You got to understand something. After your mother passed, all I saw was evil, everywhere." Dad explained. "And all I cared about was keeping you boys alive."

"Ouch." I muttered. Am I invisible? Does my father only care about his sons?

"Sorry, Charley." He said. "That was before you were born."

"Anyway," He looked back at Sam. "I wanted you prepared. Ready. So somewhere along the line, I, uh... stopped being your father. And I became your drill sergeant. So when you said you wanted to go away to school, all I could think about, my only thought, was that you were gonna be alone..."

I tuned them out. My god! I was alone, for twelve long years I was alone, in the orphanage with no one but my friends to lean on. Miss Farrow was my only parent figure back there. I held on to myself for years, I forced myself to be strong, for me, for Dustin, for Amy, and all other people back there who trusts me, who counted on me for reasons that I don't even know. I was there, wondering what happened to my family, whether I have one and if they wanted to see me because I do. I wanted to see them badly. And here they are. Here I am with them, still I'm not satisfied. I wanted my father to see me as his own child, not an extra. I wanted him to treat me like Sam and Dean. I realized, after Sam resolved his issues with him, I was the one who was having issues now. And I hated it. I slowly crept my way outside, while they were busy having reconciliations. I sat on the stairs on the porch and contemplated, but I was startled when a pair of legs suddenly came into my vision.

"Hey, everything okay?" It was Dean, he sat down beside me.

"Yeah, I'm fine." I assured him, wiping some of my tears. "You got the blood?" I asked him.

"Sure." He said. "We're going to have that talk, Charley. After the case."

"After the case." I nodded at him. Gee, I can't wait.

"Where are they?" He asked, referring to Dad and Sam.

"They're inside, making some reconciliations." I told him. "Stay here for a while, they're probably in tears."

"As if you're not." He chuckled.

"Am not."

"You wanna talk about it now?" He asked me and I faced him. I saw the sincerity and eagerness in his eyes.

"After the case." I said.

"Alright." He nodded. We stayed quiet for a moment, as we tried to sense what's going on inside the room between Dad and Sam. I leaned on his shoulder and sighed. Dean, noticing my gesture, put an arm around me and patted my back. I held his hand for a moment and squeezed it. He squeezed back signaling for reassurance. With that simple gesture of affection from my brother, I remembered that I have a family, one who loves me.

"We should probably head back inside." He said. He helped me stand up and we made our way inside. Sam and Dad were sitting together smiling at each other.

"Whoo!" Dean tried to play it cool. "Man there are some heavy security to protect a bunch of dead guys."

"Did you get it?" Dad asked. Dean produced a jar of dead man's blood from his pocket.

"I didn't know you got a whole jar of them." I said. "Man, that is so gross."

They laughed at me. Dad held the jar at us and said, "You know what to do."

So here was our plan. Dean will pretend to have some car trouble to draw the vampires in while the three of us will be waiting far behind until they come close. Then, the party shall start.

We watched as one vampire walked towards Dean. Holding a crossbow, I loaded it with an arrow dipped in dead man's blood. I aimed it carefully towards the vampire. I saw the vampire slapped Dean on the face.

"Watch it, bitch." I muttered, aiming for her heart.

"Chill out, Charley." Dad whispered. "Not yet."

"I know, Dad." I assured him, without taking my eyes off my target. "I know." I continued to watch them. Another vampire came, he was a big man. The woman was clutching Dean's face then she kissed him. Shit, that was so gross. My brother was damned for life. I aimed at her, then pulled the trigger of the crossbow, just as soon as Sam shoot the man. We walked towards them. Sam held the other guy up.

I heard her say, "Damn it. Barely even stings." I just gave her a wicked smile.

"Does it?" I held a vial of dead man's blood to show it to her.

"Give it time , sweetheart."Dad told her reassuringly. "The arrow's soaked in dead man's blood. It's like poison to you, ain't it?"

Then she collapsed. Dean caught her and Dad ordered us to load up as he took care of the other one. After he killed the vampire, he led us into the woods. I tied the vampire bitch down a tree. Sam and Dean tossed some saffron, skunks, cabbage and trillium on the fire we made. The idea was to block our scents from the vampires. Dad was sure that they'll come after our hostage.

"Vampires mate for life. She means more to the leader than the gun." He explained to us. "But the blood sickness is gonna wear off so you don't have a lot of time."

"I still have one shot." I told Dad. "Should I give it to her?"

"Save it." He told me.

"Half-hour ought to do it." Sam stated.

"And then I want you out of the area as fast as you can." Dad said.

"But-" Sam started saying.

"Dad, you can't take care of them all yourself." Dean told him.

"I'll have her, and the colt." He said with confidence.

"But after, we're gonna meet up, right?" Sam said.

Of course we're not, I thought.

"Use the gun together, right?" Sam continued. Dean looked at him and Dad then at me. I shook my head. Dad didn't answer.

"You're leaving again, aren't you?" Sam accused. I saw that one coming. "You still want to go after the demon alone?"

Well of course he would. I wonder why my brothers never saw that one.

"You know I don't get you." Sam started to speak again. "You can't treat us like this."

"Like what?" He retorted.

"Like children."

"You are my children. I'm trying to keep you safe."

"Dad, all due respect, but that's a bunch of crap." Dean, of all people, said finally. Wow, I never thought he'd have the nerve to go against Dad.

"Excuse me?" He said, surprised.

"You heard him." I spoke. This time, it's my turn. "Dad, that's all you tell us. You want to keep us safe, but the truth is we are not. As soon as we lived this kind of lifestyle, there is no such word as safe."

"You know what Sammy, and I have been hunting?" Dean spoke again. "Hell, you sent us on a few hunting trips yourself, including that one that involved Charley. You can't be that worried about keeping us safe."

"It's not the same thing, Dean."

"Then what is it?" He demanded. "Why do you want us out of the big fight?"

"This demon... it's a bad son of a bitch." He explained.

"Tell us something we don't already know." I whispered. Dad sent me a sharp look.

"Watch it, young lady." He said. "I'm going to talk to you later."

"Why don't you talk to me now, Dad?" I spat back.

"Charley." Dean warned. I shoot him a glare. He glared back.

"I can't make the same moves if I'm worried about keeping you alive." Dad continued to explain.

"You mean, you can't be as reckless." Dean threw at him.

"Look, I don't expect to make it out of the fight in one piece. Your mother's death... It almost killed me."

"I can't watch my children die too." He finally said. "I won't"

"What happens if you die?" Dean asked him. "Dad, what happens if you die and we could've done something about it?"

"Don't you think it won't kill us too?" I asked him, but he didn't answer.

"You know, I've been thinking. I think that Sammy might have been right on this one. I think we should do this together."

"If that was the same demon who killed my mother, I gotta be a part of this fight too."

"But it's not." Dad told me. Then I remembered when he told me that he sent back the demon who killed my mother back to hell.

"Then I don't care. This demon has caused so much. And he's still a demon, his kind killed the people that we care about. People we love."

"We're stronger as a family, Dad. We just are. You know it." Dean added.

"We're running out of time." Dad spoke. "You do your job, and you get out of the area. That's an order." Then he walked away. "Charley, you get in my truck." He called back.

As soon I loaded the vampire into his truck, I sat in the back, waiting for him. Feeling a bit nervous, I played with my hair and watched my brothers clean up our things from where we stopped. After a few minutes, I saw Sam walk towards the truck and knocked on the window. I rolled it down.

"You okay?" He asked me.

"I don't know how to answer your question." I told him honestly.

"It'll be fine." He assured me.

"What will be?" I asked him. "The case, or the talk?"

"I was hoping both." He smiled at me.

"Yeah, you and me both." I smiled back.

"Sam, let's go!" Dean called.

"See you later." He kissed me on the forehead which surprised me. If this was God's way of telling me that I am not alone anymore then I'm sure as hell I'm getting it. I closed the window just as Dad climbed into the driver's seat and started the engine.

"Charley-" Dad started to say.

"Dad, I'm sorry for the way I acted out there but you left me, us, with no choice." I spoke. "I'm trying not to question every single thing that you tell us to do, but that last one... Dad, you can't expect us to leave you right here after everything that has happened."

"I'm just trying not to get you killed."

"Well, heads up, Father dear! Death is natural." I told him. "Dad, look. My brothers, they are in legal age, and I'm going to be legal in two years time. Don't treat us like we're little kids. Men should be treated like men, because if they weren't, they won't like it. I mean, if you were in their place, you'd probably feel the same way."

"Can we not talk about your brothers?" He asked me. "I want to talk about you."

"Okay, talk."

"Charley, I know you feel inferior of your brothers. You would probably think that I love them more than you." He said. "But I assure you, that is not true. In my eyes, the three of you are equal."

"Did it kill you too?" I asked him.

"What?"

"When my mother died?"

"Yes." He spoke quietly. "Look, sweetie, I know I'm not the best father in the world, but at least let me try to be one for you. You spent your whole life away from me, from us, your family."

"Then prove it, Dad." I challenged him. "Prove that you are trying. Don't make us leave. Let us come with you, Dad. Please."

As I begged him, Kate, the vampire, stirred awake. I glanced at the rear view mirror and noticed something.

"I think we're being followed." I told Dad, then he drove faster. There were two cars behind us. "Faster, Dad. Faster."

"Relax, sweetheart." He glanced at the rearview mirror, then I saw his eyes widen.

"What is it?" I asked, then I looked behind. The cars were gone. Dad drove faster but we were blocked by vampires, a lot of them.

"Crap." I muttered. I tried to relax a bit. I know I shouldn't be panicking, but I couldn't help it.

"Get out." One vampire said. He was a man, and he was wearing a leather jacket. Dad told me to stay inside and he climbed out of the driver's seat.

"Both of you." The vampire said again. I climbed out slowly, placing myself beside my father. "Who are you?"

"The name's Winchester." Dad replied.

"Where are your friends?"

"Cleaning out your nest." Dad answered coolly.

"Where's Kate?" The man asked again. Dad pulled the rope, where Kate was tied into and caught her. She was still weak from the poison we gave her. Dad placed a knife into her throat.

"Kate, you alright?" The man asked. I think he was her mate.

"Dead man's blood." She replied.

"You sons of bitches." He spat out at us.

"I want the colt. Elkins gun." Dad bargained. "Trade."

"Is that what this is all about?" He asked. "I mean you can't shoot us all right? We'll kill you."

"Oh, I don't need it for you." Dad replied.

"We're saving it for something else." I spoke.

"Now, put the colt down, or she goes first." Dad demanded.

"All right." The man walked towards us. "Just don't hurt her." He put the colt down.

"Dad, should I?" I whispered at him.

"No." He whispered back. Then he ordered the vamps to back up further. He walked towards the colt and picked it up. I clutched at the machete hanging from the side of my hip.

"That's a nice move, you almost made it." The man said, then Kate hit Dad in the face. He fell down. I withdrew the machete from the sheath and held it out for defense as I helped Dad stand up.

"The colt." He said. I tried to pick it up but Kate punched me in the gut, hard. I collapsed on the ground clutching my stomach in one hand, while the other one was still holding the machete. I stood up and charged at the other vampires, cutting their heads off. From somewhere I heard some arrows being shot. The other vampires were down on the ground. Sam and Dean came off running from the woods. I motioned towards Dad, Kate's mate was near him. Then someone charged me. It was another vampire. I fell on my back and she straddled me.

"You're dead." She said. She bared her fangs and almost bit me. I gave her a head butt. A hard one that I even felt a bit of blood from my forehead, which was not totally good because I'm dealing with a vampire.

"Yeah, I don't think so."

I ran towards my brothers but I saw that Kate's mate had Sam. Dean dropped the blade on the ground. I tried to think of a way that could save them. Then I remembered I had another vial of dead man's blood that I could use to weaken him. I picked up a crossbow and an arrow and dipped it into the vial. I moved quickly and aimed it at him. Just as I was about to pull the trigger, I heard a gunshot. It was aimed at his forehead. Dad shot him, using the colt. I ran towards my brothers again. The man fell down. He was dead.

"Luther!" Kate screamed. She started to move towards Dad but another vampire stopped her and they drove away.

We looked at each other's eyes, the three of us, then we looked at Dad. He gave us a smile.

After the debacle, I rode with my brothers again. We reached the motel first, they started packing.

"What are you doing?" I asked them.

"Packing." Sam replied.

"Geez, I know. But why?"

Then Dad came entered the room.

"So boys," he said. "You ignored a direct order back there."

"Yes sir." Sam replied.

"But we saved your ass." Dean reminded him. He looked at him sharply, waiting for a blow. Sam and I exchanged quick glances. I understood he was nervous too.

"You're right." Dad said.

"I am?" Dean asked.

"It scares the hell out of me." Dad explained. "You three are all I've got. But I guess we are stronger as a family. So... we go after this damn thing. Together."

"Yes, sir." The three of us said in unison. Then Dad gave me a wink and I mouthed, "Thank you."

* * *

A/N: In case you were wondering when the crossover will happen, it will be during the latter part.


	7. Chapter 7- The Road to Salvation

Chapter 7- The Road to Salvation

It has been one week and I still can't believe that vampires actually exist, and from what happened, I'm sure there are all other creatures out there in the dark that exist even though we like to think it's impossible. Who knows, maybe my fairy godmother's been watching over me now, trying to evaluate whether I'm worthy of my happy ending.

"Charley." Sam snapped me out of my thoughts. He just went out of the shower, towel draped in his hips. "Why are you still up?"

"Nothing." I told him. I glanced at the clock. It was eleven in the evening. Dad and Dean were both sound asleep.

"Go to bed." He said, throwing on clothes.

"In a minute." I darted inside the bathroom and cleaned up. I brushed my teeth and washed my face. After a few minutes, I went outside and climbed straight to bed. Sam was still sitting on his bed, scanning through Dad's Journal.

"Something's bothering you." He said. "I can see it."

"Is there?" I sighed. "That visible, huh?"

"Yep." He nodded.

"I still can't believe what happened last week." I said, referring to the vampires.

"What? The vampires?"

"Yeah." I told him honestly.

"Well, there's more to it, I guess." He said. "We've never had the chance to hunt down a werewolf though."

"What other things have you hunted down?" I asked him. "You know, before I entered the scene?"

"Well," He started to explain. "We haven't had much since I started hunting again. The first one was a ghost. _'The Woman in White'_. Ever heard of the legend about _'La Llorona'_?"

I racked my brain for the possibility. I'm pretty sure I've heard Dustin tell something like that. I tried to remember it. "Dustin... he told us something about it, said it originated from Mexico or somewhere."

Sam nodded. "She kills unfaithful men. I got almost killed actually."

"You cheated?" I widened my eyes in surprise.

"No." He said. "She kissed me. She insisted I was unfaithful." Then again, remembering how Kate kissed Dean. My brothers were scarred for life.

"We got her down by bringing her home. Turns out she drowned her kids and killed herself after her husband left them." He continued.

"So much for guilt-tripping." I muttered. "So what's the next creature of the night you brought down?"

"Wendigo." He said. "They were once humans, but they became like cannibals."

"Spooky." I said. "Almost got you killed I guess."

"Dean, he was taken." He explained. "I saved the day."

"I bet your ass you did." I chuckled. "What next?"

"Another ghost. He was a little boy."

"What happened?"

"He drowned in a lake. His playmates were trying to fool with him. It was an accident. Poor little boy's spirit got pissed, he started killing their respective families."

"All of them are dead?" I asked him. He shook his head and told me that after the boy's ghost killed one of his playmate and his family, they had saved the Sheriff's daughter and his son. The Sheriff was the other playmate.

"Then, we exorcised a demon, and an airplane."

"Totes."

"You know there's one thing that scares the hell out of our big brother?"

"There is?" I urged him to go on.

"Airplanes."

"He's afraid of flying?" I gasped, then started laughing.

"Airplanes crash." I heard Dean say. "That's reasonable. Don't laugh at me."

"I must have waked you up." I continued to laugh. "I'm sorry."

"Well, your other brother out there is afraid of clowns." Dean remarked, referring to Sam.

"Clowns can be pretty creepy." I said in Sam's defense. "Especially those French ones who do mimes."

He just rolled his eyes at us. "Fine, fine. Go to sleep now." He lied on his back again and dozed off.

"Well?" I turned to Sam. "Continue."

"Are you afraid of clowns too?"

"I'm afraid of a lot of things, but let's talk about that next time. Your adventures are the ones I want to talk about now."

"Don't laugh at the next one." He said. I nodded. "Bloody Mary."

"Holy cow! That was true?"

"She almost gouged our eyes out." He explained. "We broke the mirror and killed her. However, I don't know how many others out there who might have turned like her."

"Shit. I must hate mirrors."

"Try not to." He chuckled. "The next was a shapeshifter."

"Oh, you told me about that." They did tell me about that. That's why Dean was apparently killed in St. Louis, Missouri, because the shifter copied him and was shot.

"The next one was another legend. The Hookman. Then we dealt with bugs." He said. "Real ones, we were saved by the sunrise. And then we found you."

"Then you dealt with another ghost." I continued. "You almost killed my friend. I almost had my first grave desecration. My best friend ended up in a coma and I ended up with you. Can you believe that?" I couldn't mask the hint of sarcasm I had and in that moment I hoped that Sam hadn't picked that up, he did.

"Charley, we didn't want this for you." He told me, with his puppy dog eyes. I hate those eyes as much as I love them.

"I know. I didn't mean it to sound like that." I assured him. "I'm starting to like it. Made me real tough."

"Sure it did." He said, yawning.

"We better get some rest." I said, lying on my back, then I slept.

_ Somewhere in the world, there is a church. A man, probably a pastor, was inside when a woman came. She was short and pixie haired. Her hair was blond and she was wearing a red leather jacket, skinny jeans and a pair of boots. I'm pretty sure I know her from somewhere. I watched her as she approached the man. I tried to follow her but I can't move. I took another look at her and I realized that I knew her well, before she was killed, before she was thrown down the windows of a tall building. A warehouse, actually. She was the one who almost got us killed. Meg. My eyes didn't deceive me, even though I'm sure that she died. Or did she? _

_ The scene has changed now. We were inside some room, with guns and weapons. They were talking to each other but I can't hear what they were saying. Meg was holding a blade and she swung it and cut the man's throat. I screamed._

I woke up with a start. I was sweating and I tried to catch my breath. Sam and Dean were still sleeping. I scanned the room for Dad but he was nowhere to be seen. I closed my eyes and tried to relax but the image of the man and his dead body haunted me. Meg's possible existence haunted me. The daeva encounters made their way back to my brain. I felt again the pain I had from my near-death experience. I shivered at the thought. I opened my eyes and felt that tears were rolling down on my cheeks. I sniffed and wiped my tears. It's just a dream.

"It's just a dream." I whispered to myself, reassuringly. I closed my eyes again. "She's dead. It's just a dream." I repeated it to myself until I felt a pair of hands shaking me.

"Charley!" Dean's voice pulled me back from my panic attack. "Are you okay?"

He continued to shake me as I continued to sob. "Charley, honey. It's okay. You're okay. You're safe." He gathered me in his arms and felt that he did every single thing just to calm me down. He kissed my forehead, my hair, my eyes as he continued to wipe my tears. "Shh. Charley, it's okay. Open your eyes. Look at me."

I slowly opened it and looked at him.

"Good girl." He smiled at me. "You want to talk about what happened?"

"Bad dream." I told him. "It was a dream, isn't it?"

"Sure it is." He told me. "What was it about? Can you tell me?"

"Meg. She's... she's alive. She killed somebody." I told him slowly.

"No, she's dead. We saw her." He rubbed my back. "It was just a bad dream, okay?"

I nodded. "Where's Dad?"

He glanced over the room. "Probably went outside for some breakfast. Why don't you hit the showers first. Then we'll talk."

"The talk, you mean."

"From last week? Yes." He nodded at me. "Don't worry, I won't put much pressure."

"You better not." I told him. "I can't handle much."

After I hit the showers, Dean walked me towards the Impala. He sat on the hood and told me to sit beside him, so I did.

"How are you?" He asked.

"I'm fine." I told him. I did not expect his question. "Why?"

"How are you, really?" He looked at me, his eyes full of concern and sincerity.

"Okay," I sighed. "To what are you referring to?"

"Everything." He said. "Everything that's bothering you, explain it to me. Start from the beginning."

"I'm not sure I know where to start."

"Okay, start from last week." He suggested. "What did you feel or what made you feel that way?"

I was lost in his words. I didn't know how to answer him so I started to think.

"Charley, we can do this all day if you want. It's up to you." He told me. "You know I'm here for you, right? We're here."

"I know that, Dean." I finally said. "I'm just... feeling a little bit stupid, and scared."

"Why do you feel scared?" He asked me. "You're with three of the best damn hunters in the world and you still feel scared?"

"Shut up."

"I know, I was just trying to lighten it up a little bit."

"I'm not scared of anything." I told him honestly. "I'm scared of Dad."

"Scared?" He cocked his head to his side. He was confused. "Why the hell would you be scared of him?"

"I really don't know. I mean… I'm not really that scared, it's just that I don't know how to act around him. One minute he's Dad, then all of a sudden he's become a soldier. It's like walking in a land full of mines." I saw him nod slightly. "I also feel inferior sometimes."

"About?"

"I know I'm going to sound like a bitch by saying this but, let's face it. If Dad is going to pick between us, he'll pick you and Sam, and your Mom over me." I closed my eyes because I was afraid what he might say. "And no, I won't be mad at him for doing that because it is right. I'm just some illegitimate child, and I feel lucky to have spent even just a bit of time with him. It's just sometimes he speaks like I'm not here, like I'm invisible or something."

"Charley," Dean whispered at my ear, trying to stop me. I didn't realize he was too close because of my blabbering.

"Look, Dean. I'm sorry if I offended you for that, but it's the truth."

The front door suddenly swung open. "You really think so?" Another voice said. I stiffened. It was Dad, he was standing there, his eyes looking straight at me.

"Dad, I—̶"

"No, no. Continue, I want to hear it. All of it." He ordered, his voice cold. I'm pretty sure he heard our conversation so I kept silent. His jaw tightened and he was breathing heavily. "Why aren't you saying anything, Charley?"

"Dad, you're scaring her." Dean spoke calmly. Then he whispered at me. "Are you okay?"

I looked at him and nodded, even though I'm not. I turned to Dad. "Dad, I'm sorry. I can't help it." I explained to him again everything in a calm manner. I don't want to upset him. I don't want to upset Dean. I don't want to wake Sam up. I don't want to feel upset again. After I talked, the room grew silent for a few minutes.

"I never wanted you to have this life. All of you." Dad finally said, breaking the silence. "This is why I left, Charley. I don't want you to get caught in the middle of this feud."

"What if I was meant to be part of the fight, Dad? Have you ever thought of that?"

"What do you mean?" He asked me. I was about to answer when I saw Sam stir awake. He opened his eyes and looked around, then he fixed his eyes on the three of us.

"What's happening?" He asked.

"We're having some family talk here, Sammy. You should join." I said with a hint of sarcasm floating on the surface. He seemed to get that it was important to he sat up straight.

"What do you mean, Charley?" Dad asked again.

"Do you even know the real reason why I ended up in that orphanage in Nebraska?" I challenged him. "I had some strange encounters when I was four. There was this black figure I always see. One night, I heard him talking to me, telling me I could never escape him. I ran towards Aunt Judith's bedroom and slid beside her, but you know what I realized? That she was already dead. A pool of blood was in her bed and on the floor. She was killed by that son of a bitch!"

"And when were you going to tell me?" He scolded.

"I never told anyone about that. I kept it with me for twelve long years." I couldn't control my emotions right now. I was a wreck. I allowed the tears to fall to my cheeks. I thought that releasing this burden was supposed to make me feel better but it didn't. I broke down, sobbing and somehow I ended up on the floor. "Until now, he continues to haunt me in my dreams." I finally whispered.

"That explains it." Sam spoke. "You've been talking in your sleep."

"Why didn't you tell me?" Dean asked him.

"It wasn't my story to tell." Sam replied. I appreciated his consideration for me.

"Tell me more about this." Dad told me.

I shook my head. "That's all I know, Dad. I don't even know if he's human or not, but I'm sure as hell he killed my foster parent."

"Can you really remember how you ended up in the orphanage?" Sam asked me.

"After I discovered that she was dead, I ran away. It was raining hard that night, but I kept running until I collapsed. When I woke up I was in the hospital. As soon as I got out, they led me into the orphanage. I lived there until Sam, Dean and Bobby showed up."

"Katherine Farrow was a distant friend." Dad stated. "I asked her to bring you her orphanage, after I heard about the incident. I've been keeping tabs on you since your Mom died."

"Why didn't you tell me before?" I was shocked. "Dad, I'm sorry. I didn't know."

"I had to. It killed me to see my sons grow up without their mother, but it was way worse seeing you, my daughter, grow up without parents." After he said those words, I rushed to him and enveloped him to a tight hug. "I gave her Bobby's number so that she could call when something happens."

"And she did." I muttered. "Dad, you basically sent them to get me." I smiled at him.

"Sort of." He whispered. I released him from my arms and wiped my tears. I stood there looking at my father and my brothers, and I smiled. Even though my brothers and I lost our mothers, we still have our father. We have each other. I know it might not seem a good example of a family, but there's no such thing as perfect.

"Charley, do you want to be a part of this fight?" Dad asked me.

"Do I have to?" I asked jokingly. "But seriously speaking, yes, I want to be a part of it. We will hunt this monster down and we'll kill it."

"Damn, girl. I'm scared of you." Dean commented. We laughed hard, knowing that we won't be able to do so in the next few days.

The next morning, I woke up late. Dad and my brothers were already discussing about the job. I headed to the bathroom immediately and took a quick shower.

"So this is it." I heard Dad talk, as soon as I got out of the bathroom. "This is everything I know about the demon. Look, our whole lives we've been searching for this demon, right? Not a trace, just nothing. Until about a year ago."

I cleared my throat and suddenly, all three pairs of eyes were looking at me. "Good Morning." I greeted them. They nodded, Sam smiled. "Carry on. " I urged them. I settled on the bed, sitting upright.

"For the first time I picked up a trail." Dad continued.

"That's when you took off." Dean remarked.

"Yeah." Dad nodded. "The demon must have come out of hiding or hibernation."

"So what's this trail you found?" Dean asked.

"It started in Arizona, then New Jersey, California." He explained. "Houses were burned down the ground. It's going after families, just like it went with us."

"Families with infants?" Sam asked.

"Yeah." Dad replied. "The night of the kid's sixth month birthday."

"I was six month old that night?" Sam wondered.

"Exactly six months."

"It's repeating." I muttered. "Twenty-two years after, it's starting again."

"So basically, this demon is going after these kids for some reason." Sam said. Yeah, but why kids? Of all people, why did this demon chose kids as its victim? "Same way it came for me? So Mom's death, Jessica… it's all because of me?" Sam continued.

"We don't know that Sam." Dean told him.

"Oh really, cause I say we're pretty damn sure, Dean." Sam retorted. I rolled my eyes, for a bit. Here we go again.

"For the last time, what happened to them is not your fault." Dean replied.

"Yeah, you're right. It's not my fault." Sam yelled at him. "But it's my problem."

"It's _our_ problem."

"Okay, that's enough!" Dad scolded.

"So why is it doing it?" Sam voiced the question out of my mind. "What does it want?"

"And why kids?" I added.

"I wish I had more answers, I do." Dad replied. "I've always been one step behind it. Look, I never got there in time to save…" He trailed off. I know he was talking about Mary Winchester.

"So how do we find it? Before it hits again." Dean asked.

"There are signs." Dad stated. "Look, it took me a while to discover the patterns, but days before these fires, sign crops up in an area. Cattle deaths, temperature fluctuations, electrical storms, and then we backed and checked…"

"These things happened in Lawrence." Dean finished Dad's sentence.

Dad nodded at him. "A week before your mother died." The three of them looked at each other. "And in Palo Alto," Dad continued. "Before Jessica. And these signs, they're starting again."

"Where?" Sam asked.

"Salvation, Iowa." He replied.


	8. Chapter 8- Homecoming

Chapter 8- Homecoming

My brothers and I were inside the Impala, driving our way to Salvation, Iowa. We're trailing behind Dad, who's driving his truck. We've been driving for hours, with Sam and Dean taking turns on the wheel. Halfway through listening to AC/DC, I saw Dad's truck went off the road.

"Where is he going?" I pointed at his truck. Dean followed and pulled over behind. Dad went out and slammed the side of his car. We got off the Impala immediately.

"Dammit!" Dad cursed. He kept his head low, but I could see that he is upset and angry.

"What is it?" Dean asked him.

"I just got a call from Caleb." He stated. Caleb was one of Dad's friends. Great hunter, he is.

"Is he okay?" Dean asked.

"He's fine." Dad explained. "Jim Murphy is dead."

"Pastor Jim?" Sam asked in shock. Dad nodded. "How?"

"Throat was slashed, he bled out." The four of us gave each other looks. I do not know Jim Murphy in person, but I sense that he's someone close to them. "Caleb said they found traces of sulfur at Jim's place."

"Demon?" I gaped at him. He nodded.

"_The Demon_?" Dean asked in emphasis. Yeah, it might have something to do with this horrible thing.

"I don't know, could be…" Dad said in an honest tone. "He just got careless. He slipped up. Maybe the Demon knows we're getting close."

"What are we going to do then?" I asked.

"What do you want to do?" My oldest brother directed his question to our father. I stared at Sam, who was still in shock.

"We act fast. There's two hospitals and a health center in this county." Dad explained. He wanted us to produce a list of names of every infant who's turning six months old by next week. He told us to check all possibilities, all options, leaving no stone unturned. As soon as we were about to slid back inside, I noticed that Dad was still standing beside his car, his head down.

"Dad?" Dean called.

Dad let out an exasperated sigh. "Yeah."

"Are you okay?" I asked him. "Do you want me to ride with you instead?" He shook his head.

"It's Jim. You know I can't…" He drew a long breath. Looking at us, he said, "This ends now. I'm ending it. I don't care what it takes."

That was the last thing he said until we've reached our destination.

By the time we arrived at the motel, Dad reminded us about the list. I was focused on doing that not until I heard my phone ring. It was a call from Bobby Singer.

"Hey Bobby, what's up?" I said, answering the phone eagerly.

"Charley, where are you?" He asked.

"Uhm… in a motel in Iowa, with Dad and my brothers." I saw Sam look at me questioningly. I gave him a quick shrug.

"Listen," he said, then slowly. "I've got some news for you. Katherine Farrow called last night and she was asking for you."

"Did she say why?"

"No, she just told me to give you the message as soon as possible." He paused for a minute. "Listen, Charley. You might want to check it out. I could accompany you back in Nebraska." Bobby's voice was full of concern.

"Yeah, yeah. I 've got to tell Dad first." I honestly don't know what else to say. They might be in danger. "If she calls again…"

"Yeah, I'll tell you right away. Gimme a call when you make up your mind."

"Sure. Thanks, Bobby." Then he hung up.

"Is there a problem?" Sam asked me.

"I guess so." I told him. "Where's Dad?"

"He's outside with Dean." I went outside to look for him. If this was an emergency, I've got to tell him right away and we've got to check it out. I didn't notice Sam trailing behind me until he was by my side. Dad was there, with Dean, obviously talking about something.

"Dad!" I called him. He turned to me quickly. "I need to tell you something."

"Is everything alright?" He asked.

"I truly hope so." By the sound of my voice, even Dean was attuned to me. Yeah, I hope everything is alright back there in Nebraska. "Listen, Bobby called a while ago. He said that Miss Farrow had called him last night and she was asking for me. She said that she has to see me right away."

"And?" Clearly, Dad was waiting for more important to hear.

"And I'd say we should check it out." I was really hoping he would agree to this. "I mean, it sounded really important."

"Do you really think it is?" Dean asked me, his eyes full of concern. I looked at Sam, he gave me a quick smile.

"Yeah. I mean, she said I should come as soon as possible." I can't believe they weren't buying it. How many times should I explain it to them.

"She could've called my cell." Dean said. "I left her my number, didn't I?"

"Have you checked your phone then?" I asked him. He scanned his pockets and his phone weren't there.

"Maybe I left it in the car." He looked for his cell inside the car and found it on the dashboard. "Three missed calls, all from her."

"See? She's been trying to contact us." I told them.

"Nebraska's just the next state." Sam said. Clearly, he believed me. "But we're one step closer to really finish this demon."

"Fine. I'll go by myself." I said, storming back inside the room. I put my clothes back in my duffel bag and packed lightly.

"Where do you think you're going, young lady?" Dad asked, in a cold tone.

"Look Dad, you go kill your demon. I'll deal with my own problems."

"Come on, Charley." Dean said. "Let's not do stupid things, okay?"

"Do you think this is stupid?"

"Going there by yourself? Yes, it is pretty stupid." Sam replied.

"I'm not going there all by myself. Bobby's going to accompany me." I slung my bag on my shoulder. "I'm going to Bobby's."

"Charley, stop." Dad got a hold of my arm. "I gave you an order. We kill the demon first, then we'll deal with it."

"An _order_?" I mocked him. "For chrissakes, Dad! I'm your daughter, not your soldier." He gripped my arm tightly and I winced. I could feel the tension rising in the air. My arm hurts. "You promised me that you would try your best, Dad." I said as calmly as possible. I don't want to cause any more trouble. I'm sick and tired of arguments.

"Let me go." I closed my eyes tightly. "You're hurting me."

"Dad." Dean said. "Let her go." Dad immediately let go of my hand after realizing what he's done.

"I'm going to Bobby's first. I promise." I told him. I looked at my arm and saw marks. "Well, that's going to bruise." I muttered.

"No," Sam said. "Let him pick you up here instead."

"I agree with him, that's safer." Dean added. "Dad?"

"I'm sorry," Dad told me. "Just be careful, alright?"

"Dad, you hunting this demon down, this is because of family. I'm doing this not because of some stubborn reason. I'm doing this because of family. They have been my family for 12 years. They became my refuge, when I was lost and you weren't there for me." I told him. "I'm not saying this to make you feel guilty or something but I hope you understand where this is coming from."

"Back then I was wondering if I had given you the Winchester gene, but it seems like you're more like Rosaline compared to me." Dad gave me a quick smile. "Your mother would be proud of what you've become."

"My mother's name is Rosaline?" It never occurred to me to ask more about my mother. I felt tears building in my eyes. My face felt hot.

"Rosaline McCall." I swear I saw Dad's eyes light up for a little, but not unlike when he talked about Mary and it was fine with me. I turned to look at my brothers to see if they felt awkward or something back in that moment, but both of them were smiling at me, pride in their eyes. We were silent for a moment.

"I've got to call Bobby." I finally said, breaking the silence.

Bobby Singer showed up two hours later. My brothers left thirty minutes ago and Dad went to the hospital to check on the infant records, so basically I was alone.

"Hey, Bobby." I said as I ushered him inside the room. I gathered my bags and carried them towards the door.

"Charley, listen." Bobby started to talk. "You might want to bring some 'protection', you know?"

"Don't worry. I packed smartly." I told him. "So uh… I'm just going to leave them a note."

"Meet me outside." He said, carrying my bags. I tore a piece of paper off the pad I saw on the bedside table and wrote a note to Dad.

Dad,

Bobby picked me up. I'll call you on the road. I'll be okay.

Love you. Sam and Dean, too.

-Charley

I left it on the table and met Bobby outside. He's just finished setting my bags on the backseat.

"Hop in." He told me. I slid in the passenger's seat of his truck, the same time he did on the driver's seat. Then, we drove our way to Nebraska.

I dialed Dad's cell after an hour. Unfortunately, I got his voice mail. I left him a message saying that I was with Bobby and we're near Nebraska. I tried to call Sam and Dean, too. Thank god, one of them answered.

"Hey," Sam greeted. "Where are you?"

"Hey, Sam." I replied coolly. "In the car, with Bobby, on the way to Nebraska."

"Right."

"Right." I chuckled. "So, just tell Dad and Dean I said hi and I left them messages."

"Are you okay?"

"I don't know. I feel nervous, excited… I feel a lot of emotions actually." I told him honestly.

"You'll be fine." He assured me. "Hey, can you hand the phone over to Bobby?"

"Bobby, Sam wants to talk to you." I placed the phone on his ear and he held it in place with his shoulders. I wondered what they were talking about. All I could hear was Bobby saying 'yeah' over and over again. I watched the road, instead. We were about half a hundred miles away from the orphanage. After a few minutes of Sam and Bobby talking, the latter handed me my phone back.

"There's a stopover nearby, do you want anything?" Bobby asked.

"Good thing you asked. I'M STARVING." He laughed at me. We needed some gas anyways. "So Bobby, did Miss Farrow call again?"

"No. I've never heard from her again, since the last one." He told me. "Hey, how did you manage to make John agree with this?"

"Hah." I puffed. "It was hard, really. Dad and Dean weren't buying it, so I drew the 'Family card'."

"You clever, little girl." He remarked, laughing.

"I had to do something." I defended myself.

After a few minutes, we came to stop by for gas and to buy some food to go. I don't want to waste more time. We have to get to the orphanage as soon as possible.

Forty-five minutes after, we've reached our destination. The orphanage hasn't changed a bit from the outside. Except for the fact that there were fire trucks and police cars parked near the gate. There were signs of fire on the main building where the office and the mess hall were located. A lot of smoke was coming out of the windows.

"Oh my god." I immediately ran off to the crime scene. A cop held me in place to prevent me from sprinting towards the gate. Bobby took me from the officer and held me tightly. "What happened?" I addressed the officer. He just looked at me. "This orphanage was my home for twelve years so you better start talking!"

"A call came in two hours ago, said the orphanage was on fire." He explained. "The fire was big. We weren't able to put it out, not until twenty minutes ago."

"Are there any survivors?" I asked, sobbing. Bobby held me tighter.

"They're by the ambulance. We weren't able to save all of them, though." As soon as he finished talking, I darted off towards the ambulance. I saw some of my acquaintances, blankets draped over their shoulders, looking exhausted. Miss Farrow was among them.

"Miss Farrow," I called her attention. "Miss Farrow, I'm so sorry."

"Oh, Charley." She started crying as soon as she saw me. I enveloped her into a tight embrace. "There were children trapped inside. We tried… Dustin tried."

"Where is he?" I asked her. Dustin should be alive. He should be.

"He's with Amy and the others, back there." She pointed to the other ambulance. "Jennifer is unconscious because of suffocation. I called you, Charley. What took you so long?"

"I'm sorry." I told her. "I received the call few hours ago from Bobby. I told my Dad about it and he wasn't buying it at first. We were busy about something. I'm really sorry."

"With your help, we could've stopped it." She told me. "He was asking for you."

I was startled. I released her slowly and looked her in the eyes and saw fear. "Miss Farrow, who are you talking about?"

"He didn't say his name, but he said he knew you too well." She told me, shaking. "He was wearing all black." Could he be the black figure I'm having nightmares with?

"Did he hurt you? I mean, besides the fire. Did he cause the fire? Did he do something else?"

"I don't know, but it might be connected to it."

"I'm really sorry." I told her with pure sincerity. "Listen, I gotta go and check on the others."

"Charley," Bobby called. "I'm gonna call your brothers and tell them what happened."

"No, I'll call them later, I promise." I told him. "I'm just going to check on my friends.

I walked towards the other ambulance and saw Dustin, with Amy and Maggie. Jennifer was lying down with oxygen mask on her face. I sprinted towards him and called their attention.

"Guys!" Dustin was the first one to turn and as soon as he saw me, I noticed that his expression changed. Relieved, he took off and ran towards me. He embraced me tightly.

"I missed you so much." He whispered into my ear. I clutched to him and broke into sobs.

"Me too." I muttered. He kissed me in the forehead. I know it was not the most romantic kiss ever, but I felt my stomach flip and it startled me. I never knew I wanted to be held like that, not until he did. From that moment, I knew everything had changed between the two of us. We stayed like that for minutes, until I heard Amy speak.

"Hey, Dustin! We miss Charley too, you know." Dustin released me and I hugged Amy and Maggie. The three of us were in tears, Dustin too.

"I just missed you so much, guys." I told them. "But enough of this for now. Tell me what happened."

"We don't exactly know, but there was a fire. The three of us were inside the room and we were just talking," Amy started to explain. "Then we heard screams so we headed out."

"Turns out that the South Building was consumed by flames and they were spreading fast. I was in the mess hall with Jake, when I realized the building was on fire. I found the girls on the yard, with Jennifer unconscious."

"She had an asthma attack." Maggie said. "We carried her out because she was panting, then she fell unconscious."

"The cops came twenty minutes after." Amy added. I moved towards Jennifer and held her hand, then I whispered, "I'm so sorry."

I turned back to my friends and apologized. "I'm sorry. This was entirely my fault."

"How is _this_ your fault?" Dustin asked.

"Listen, there are things that you don't know about me." I told them. "There are things that most people don't believe, things that actually exist but…"

"Like ghosts?" Amy said. " Charley, several months ago… what happened in here, it wasn't your fault. I jumped off the rails because I was possessed. Wasn't I?"

"I tried to hurt you. Hell, I almost got you killed, because I was possessed." Dustin said, walking towards me. They remembered. They knew what happened. Dustin put his hands on my shoulders and looked at me straight in the eyes. "I was thankful that guy shot me."

"How did you know? You weren't supposed to remember that." Suddenly, I heard my phone ring. "Just a sec." I told them. I fished my phone out of my pocket and looked at the screen. It was Dean.

"Hey, Dean." I said, answering the call. I distanced myself from my friends so they won't hear our conversation.

"Charley, you were right." He said.

"Right about what?" I asked. "What are you talking about?"

"Meg." I stiffened. "She's alive and she killed Pastor Jim."

"Holy shit!" I almost broke into sobs. I saw Dustin look at me in confusion, so he motioned towards me. I held my hand up to stop him. Then, I remembered my dream. Meg killed a pastor inside the church. The pastor's name was Jim and he's close to my family. "Dean, my dream. I dreamt about it. Do you remember?"

"Yes." He spoke in a concerned tone. "Charley, be careful. Okay?"

"Dean," I let out a sigh. "I have a problem. Big time."

"What is it? Are you okay?"

"We're in Nebraska right now and we kind of just arrived into the orphanage." I explained to him what happened, the fire, my friends and what Miss Farrow had told me. "I think he's back."

"Who?" Dean asked. "The black figure?"

"Yes." I closed my eyes and let the feeling of fear consume me. I let myself fall down the ground, after a few seconds, hands were all over me. Still holding the phone, I told my brother, "Dean, I'm so freaking scared."

"Baby, I know you're scared and it's okay. We'll hunt this bastard down. Look, stay with Bobby, okay?" He instructed me. "Let your friends stay with you. I'll call you back."

"Yeah. I love you, Dean." I clutched at the phone.

"I said no chick-flick moments." He said, chuckling, which made me smile. "I love you too."

"Who's Dean?" Dustin asked as I hang up the phone.

"He's my half-brother." I told him. "He was also the one who shot you."

"Oh." He parted his lips, then held it back together forming a thin line. "So, why did he do it again?"

"To save your ass." I told him. "Look, let's talk about all of these later. We have to get out of here." Just then, a medic appeared and pushed Jennifer inside the ambulance.

"We have to take her to the hospital." She told us.

"Can we go with her?" Amy asked.

"Only one person could accompany her." The medic told us. We agreed that Maggie should go with her. Inside my head, I realized that if Maggie went with her, she'll be safer. At least, there's one less person I would deal with. Maggie climbed up the ambulance and gave us a wave.

"We'll check with you in a while." I told her and gave her a smile. Then, the three of us went to Bobby and I told him what happened, including the part about the mystery man. Bobby led me away from my friends and talked to me in private.

"Charley, don't you think we should check this out?" He told me. "I mean, really check this out."

"Okay, I gotta tell you that I'm scared as hell." I looked at him in the eye. "But if this is what it takes, I'll do it."

"Atta girl." He remarked. "Have you called your brothers yet?"

"Dean called." I told him. "We have another problem. Meg, she's alive. I mean, you probably don't know about her, but the thought of her scares the hell out of me too." I remembered that night. The daevas that scarred me, not only my body, but my mind as well. "She's one crazy bitch, I could assure you that. She summoned shadow demons that almost killed us. The last time I checked, she fell down on a window."

"Shadow demons?" He cocked an eyebrow. "Daevas?"

"Uhuh." I nodded. "Dean told me she was the one who killed Pastor Jim Murphy. Caleb told us he was dead yesterday, but we didn't know who did it. Not until they confirmed it was Meg." I realized how serious things were getting so I told Bobby we have to work fast.

We went back to my friends and ushered them inside Bobby's truck.

"Where are we going?" Amy asked.

"Somewhere safe." I told her. "We need to lie low for a little. Well, actually I need to. The fact that the two of you are with me puts you in grave danger."

"What are we missing here?" Dustin asked. I peeked into the rear view mirror. He was looking at me too.

"I'll tell you everything when we get a room."

We parked outside a motel just about seven blocks away from the orphanage. My friends stared at me in confusion. I just shrugged and told them, "Welcome to my life." I led them inside as soon as we got a room.

"Okay, maybe we should all sit down." I told them.

"Do you want me to go?" Bobby offered.

"No, please don't." I shook my head. I started to tell my whole story to them. How I ended up in the orphanage, how my brothers found me and all that other stuff.

"You see, I am a hunter." Dustin and Amy both cocked their heads sideways. "Like supernatural hunter."

"Okay." Dustin muttered, obviously trying to process what I just said.

"Listen, you both knew you were possessed that day. It was a spirit. Melissa Reynolds?" I glanced at them. "Oh, by the way Bobby was the one who brought you into the hospital."

"Huh," Dustin exhaled. "Thanks." He told Bobby, then he turned at me. His eyes full of worry.

"My brothers were hunters too. They taught me how to be one. I mean they came from a family of hunters. My father became one after his wife died. Dean and Sam, they started when they were kids." I explained to them.

"So you hunt ghosts?" Amy asked me. "Are you like the Ghostbusters?"

"No, we're not fictional." I told her. "Plus we don't just hunt ghost. I mean we've dealt with demons, vampires—"

"Charley," Bobby warned. "Too much info."

"Right," I nodded. "But yeah, those kinds of things. We've been looking for Dad for the last few months and now that we've found him, it seemed like he's found the solution to our problem."

"Okay?" Amy said, leading me on.

"So, what happened in the orphanage… it may or may not be connected to the _problem_."

"Stop being vague." Dustin told me. "Tell us the truth."

"I'm trying okay? Give me some credit here." I sighed in frustration. "Okay, here it goes. When I was like four, my foster parent, Aunt Judith, was killed. There was someone, a man in black, who kept on haunting me. Until now, he does that but, it's been seldom." The two of them nodded. "I think that the man in black was the one responsible for the fire. Miss Farrow told me that someone was looking for me, a man dressed in black. She said that if I arrived earlier, we could've stopped the fire."

"How can you even stop that from happening?" Dustin asked me. He cocked his head in confusion.

"I don't know. It may have something to do with the demon problem we have in Iowa. Listen to me, all I know is that if he finds me, I'll never escape him." I told them. "But I'm not going to run away, not now, not ever. This has to stop now. I'll do whatever it takes."

"Charley," Amy spoke. "It's got to be dangerous."

"Of course it is. Where's the fun in that?" I chuckled.

"Well, it's not funny." Dustin glared at me. "I'm not going to let you do that."

"I wasn't asking for your permission." I glared at him back. We've been staring at each other coldly for minutes, until he softened his look.

"Charley, please?" He pleaded. "I don't want to lose you."

"I'm not going to lose you, either. Both of you." I told him. "Plus, you're not going to lose me. I'm not going alone."

* * *

Sorry, it's been a long while to post this chapter but I hope you enjoyed it. Working on Chapter 9 now but will probably post it after several weeks. Exams are coming so please bear with me. :D


	9. Chapter 9- Revenge

Chapter 9- Revenge

"Charley," the voice whispered. It was very familiar to me. It called my name over and over. It belonged to the same person, who haunted me for years. Chills crept up my spine and my body was covered with gooseflesh. "Charley," it said again. "You can't run away. I'll always find you."

My brain yelled at me to run but my body held me in place. "Not today, not today. I'm not going to die today." I muttered. I couldn't see anything at all, and then I realized my eyes were closed. I forced my eyelids to open and the light blinded me. I was lying down on the ground. I scanned the place, there were trees and I could hear the river flowing. It felt like I was in a meadow or something. The place was beautiful.

"Charley," the voice called again, but this time it was softer. The voice became beautiful and gentle. I followed the sound of it as it called again. I pushed my way out of the bushes until I saw a man standing near the river, his back turned on me.

"Hello?" I called out to gain his attention. He turned around to face me and there I saw the most exquisite man I ever saw in my whole existence. He was surprisingly a little bit pale and his lips formed into a charming smile. He motioned his way towards me and I took a step back.

"Who are you?" I asked him.

"I finally met you," He said gently. He smiled again. "Charlotte Winchester."

"I asked you a question, didn't I?" I told him. Even though he's the most handsome man I've ever seen, I couldn't let my guard down.

"My name is Alexander." He said.

"Are you the one who killed Aunt Judith?" I asked him. "Have you been following me since?"

"Direct to the point, are we?" He grinned.

"I'm not exactly the type of person you want to mess with." I warned, giving him a sharp look.

"Well, that makes two of us." He said. "I take it you're not afraid of me. That's a stupid choice. I killed your Aunt Judith, Charley. I ripped her apart in seconds. You really should be afraid of me." He smiled again, and blinked. His eyes shifted to black… or red. He transformed from the most exquisite man to one of the most evil faces I've ever seen. Every time he walked towards me, I take a step back. I checked the back of my jeans for any kind of weapon that I could use. I shifted my hand towards my back pocket and felt something hard. It was a switchblade. I held it out in front of me.

"Do you really think you could beat me with a knife?" He chuckled.

"Not really," I said. "But I know what you are."

"Really, now?" He taunted. I tried to step backwards again, but I realized I was on a dead-end. My back was against a trunk of a tree.

"You're a demon."

"A demon?" He laughed. "That's a bit harsh, don't you think Charley?" In one quick motion, he was standing right in front of me. He started to smile again and I noticed something about his teeth. He had… fangs. He's a vampire, but of a different kind because I'm sure as hell he's not like the ones we've hunted weeks ago. He bared his fangs at me and lunged at my throat. I screamed.

Then I woke up. I was in the bed, in the cheap-ass motel we rented. Amy was on the other bed, sleeping soundly. Suddenly, I heard a knock on the door. I peeked before I opened it. It was Dustin.

"I heard someone scream." He said. "Is everything okay? You look so pale." He ushered me back inside and we sat on the couch. "Should I call Bobby?"

"Is he asleep?" I asked. He nodded. "There's no need. Can you just get me a glass of water?" I took a deep breath.

"You want to tell me about it?" He said as he handed me a glass of cold water.

"It was a bad dream, a recurring one actually." I said as soon as I drank the whole glass. "I need to talk to my brothers first. What time is it?"

"It's about four in the morning." He said.

"Well, I hope at least one of them is up." I took my phone from the side table and dialed Dean's cell. It went straight to voice mail. I tried Sam, he didn't answer either. "Freaking voice mail." I mumbled, trying to hold back my tears. I shouldn't be feeling anything like this. I shouldn't be scared, but I couldn't help it. It's pathetic.

"You know you can actually tell me about it." He offered again.

"I know." I sighed, finally breaking down. "The truth is I'm terrified, Dustin." I clutched at him for comfort, which he gladly gave.

"It was him." I whispered. "The man who killed my foster parent, I finally saw his face. He was… he's a vampire. And I'm sure as hell he wants to kill me, but I don't know why. He just kept on throwing warnings. He keeps on telling me that I should be afraid of him."

"It's okay. It's just a dream."

"It's not okay." I told him. "Not until I kill him."

"Charley, please." He held my face, his eyes boring into mine. "Promise me, you're not pursuing him. Or whatever he is."

"A _vampire_, Dustin. I can't promise you that." I told him. "The only thing I could promise you is your safety, and that I'm not going alone."

"I don't care about my safety." He said. "Charley, promise me." I held his hands, shaking my head, I removed his hands from my face.

"You better start caring about it." I told him. "I'm leaving Amy in your care. Wherever you go, you bring her with you."

"You better not be making out with her or her brothers would whip up your ass, boy." Bobby spoke, leaning in the door frame. We both jumped at the sound of his voice.

"Yeah, he's right." I pulled away. "My brothers would literally rip your throat, and my father," I looked at Dustin, who looked like he was about to shit on his pants. "I wonder what he would do to you." I continued to tease him. He gulped, his eyes wide in shock. Bobby and I laughed.

"You know, that was not really funny." Dustin said as he gradually relaxed.

"Oh, it was." I told him. "Trust me though, they could really do that. Don't worry, I won't let anything happen to you." I patted his head like a kid and got off the couch and motioned towards Bobby.

"I need to talk to you." I pulled him outside.

"What's the matter?"

"I had a dream. He's a vampire, Bobby." I explained my dream to him, not missing any details.

"Are you sure about that?" He asked, after hearing my story.

"Bobby, he had fangs." I replied. "I'm sure as hell he's a vampire. I tried to call Dean and Sam but I guess they're still asleep."

"Have you told John about it?"

"Not yet."

"Charley, you have to—"

"I know." I interrupted him. I know I should've just told my father about it but I can't help thinking whether he would believe me. He's just so preoccupied with the demon case. "I'll tell him." I pulled out my phone and dialed Dad's cell.

"Hello?" Dad answered after the second ring.

"Dad." I answered.

"Charley, is everything okay?" Wow. I wasn't expecting that. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine, Dad." I told him. "At the moment."

"Dean told me about the fire. Your friends, are they alright? Charley, I… I'm worried about you. Do you want us to come over?" He said, his voice full of concern.

"Dad, I'm fine. One of my friends was unconscious so she's in the hospital, another friend of mine is accompanying her there. Dustin and Amy are here with us. Miss Farrow though, she's kind of in trauma, I think. She said that the fire couldn't have happened if I have arrived just in time." I told him. "Listen, Dad. I need to tell you something."

"What is it?"

"The man who killed my foster parent… the one who's been haunting me since I was a kid… he's a vampire, a different kind." I explained. "I dreamt about it… about him."

"Wait, you said he's a different kind of vampire. What kind exactly?" He asked. I could hear papers being shuffled on the other line and I think he's scanning his journal.

"Well, his eyes turned black… or red. I'm not that sure but it's dark. Then his fangs, they're not from another set. His canines had just become fangs, so basically he has just a pair of fangs." I explained to him.

"Are you sure he's a vampire?" He asked, obviously not buying it.

"You know, Bobby asked the same thing." I chuckled. "He had fangs, Dad. And he lunged at my throat. Well, at least he did it in my dreams."

"I've never encountered anything like it." He said. "How are we going to handle it?"

"Dad, you don't need to—" I was surprised by his question. Does he really plan to involve himself here?

"The hell I don't!" He cussed. "It concerns you, so it concerns me as well."

"I'm planning on stopping him. Bobby is here to help me." I told him reassuringly. "Look, Dad. You have bigger problems than me. How's the demon case by the way."

"We're getting close on it." He assured me. "Look, sweetie. As soon as we finish the case, we'll meet up with you and we are going to take down this son of a bitch. Okay?"

"Okay." I told him. "Take care, Dad."

"You too, Charley." He replied. "You too."

I put my phone back into my pocket and turned to Bobby.

"So how did it go?" He asked.

"Huh, as if you didn't hear it." I joked. "Dad offered to help as soon as they're finished with the demon case."

"See?" He said, smiling. "Sometimes, you just need to tell your old man about things. You don't need to be an 'idjit' about it." He ushered me back inside the room.

"Get some rest. We leave by noon."

I couldn't sleep. My mind was too preoccupied with a lot of things. The demon case; Alexander the vampire; my too-close-but-not-that-intimate-I-guess relationship with Dustin; Maggie and Jennifer, especially Jennifer. I wonder how she's doing right now. I pulled out my journal from my backpack. Yes, I do have a journal but it's nothing like what Dad has. However, I wrote down every single thing that happened since my first case, including some events from my past that can be considered relevant to the supernatural world. Besides, my journal was Moleskine.

I scanned the pages until I found the things I wrote about the mysterious man, Alexander. I tried to remember everything about him. I remember him calling me at night, almost everytime before I go to bed. I saw him around four or five times the night before Aunt Judith was killed.

"_Always as a shadow, no detailed features." _I read what I wrote. "Well, not until the dream." I grabbed a pencil and sketched his face. I couldn't forget his face so it took me minutes to finish the sketch. I closed my eyes and remembered every single detail from my dream. The meadow, his face, his voice.

"Charley," His voice. It was him. It was Alexander.

I opened my eyes and scanned the room for his presence. Nothing. As I was trying to relax, I heard a light tap on the door. I motioned towards it and placed my ear on it. The tapping continued. I pulled my switchblade from my pocket and I gently opened the door. I could feel the cold breeze of the air searing through my skin. I stepped outside and scanned the surroundings, there was no one. I sighed deeply. My mind's playing tricks on me.

I was about to step back inside when I heard him call again, this time the voice was louder. It only meant one thing. He's near.

I turned around and found him standing a few feet away from me. I gripped my switchblade hard. Somehow, I found myself wishing I had brought something more than a simple switchblade.

"What do you want from me?" I spat out.

"I find you really amusing, Little Miss Winchester." He chuckled. "I just need one thing from you, Charley, and that's something really valuable, not just for you but for every single person in this whole damned world."

"And what is that?"

"Life." He said. "I'm going to take your life away from you. I'm going to rip you apart in ways you, your father and your half-brothers couldn't imagine." He smirked at me and I widened my eyes at the sight of his fangs. I know I shouldn't be afraid of him, that I'm a better person than this, but this freaking bloodsucker really scares me.

"I'm not afraid, I'm not afraid." I muttered to myself.

"Is that your mantra now?" He laughed at me. "Continue to tell that to yourself." He took a stride, a quick one. Now he's standing right in front of me. "Do you want to know why I'm doing this?"

I nodded. He wanted to kill me so bad, that I know of. However, I do not know the real reason why he wanted to kill me.

"I had a mate, a vampire. Her name was Margaret. She was killed fifteen years ago, beheaded." He told me. Sadness and rage was seeping through him. "Do you know who killed her?"

I stared at him blankly. How would I know? Would it be Dad?

"Your mighty father, John Winchester, killed her!" He swept me off from the ground and pinned me against a wall, choking me. I could feel that I'm almost two feet from the ground. I kicked his body but he was too strong. My lungs were burning from the lack of air, I kicked him harder but he wouldn't even move.

"Please… don't" I tried to speak, but I was choking on my words. The switchblade, I thought. I stabbed his hand with all my strength. He yelped and pulled his hands away. I dropped to the ground and almost coughed my guts out.

I looked at his wounded hand, it was starting to heal, but he was still clutching it so it must have hurt like a bitch. I had to come up with something. _Think, Charley. Think. _Vampires, what other things would hurt them besides dead man's blood that, obviously, is not in my possession right now. I'm sure crucifix would not hurt them. Sunlight should burn him off. The sun has risen even before I got outside and he's very much alive.

What else?

Think, dumbass. Think!

A stake? A wooden stake through the heart. I read from somewhere that a wooden stake could kill a vampire. Would it work? I hope so. I scanned around to find anything made from wood. There was a tree, but it's too far. I looked at my hand, the switchblade had Alexander's blood and it trickled down my left hand (Have I told you that I'm left-handed? Oh, I guess it never came up). The switchblade. Its handle is made of wood.

I looked back at Alexander and he's looking at me, his eyes dark. He started to walk towards me so I stood up. I held the switchblade oppositely, the blade within my palm. I ran towards him and stabbed the handle in his chest. He yelled in pain and coughed in pain. He stumbled backwards. I ran away from him and I saw a broomstick. I broke it in two and ran back towards him. He got the switchblade out of his chest. I grabbed his collar and made him sit, and then using the sharp end of the stick, I poked it into his chest so hard that it passed through his body. Gross.

I picked up my switchblade, looked at him and spoke, "Don't even try to show up in front of me again, because next time, I would drive that stick through your heart."

I ran back into our room and woke Amy up. I asked her to pack our things immediately then, I went to the other room to wake Bobby and Dustin up and ask them to do the same. After a few minutes, we were inside the car and driving our way back to Iowa.

"Charley, what happened?" Dustin asked me.

"Your hand." Amy took my hand and checked it. "Do you have a first aid kit around?" She asked Bobby.

"There's one in the glove compartment." Dustin pulled the kit out of the compartment and handed it to Amy.

I inspected my wound. The blade went deep, too deep. It hurts a lot. "I think it needs to be stitched up."

"Stitched up?" Amy gasped. "You should see a doctor."

"Nah, I could do it." I said. "Bobby, can you pull over for just a minute?"

"I'll do the stitching." Bobby said, pulling over the car to the side.

After minutes of pain and agony, my wound was now properly cleaned and dressed. Bobby started to drive again. My mind went back to what happened earlier. It made me a little bit emotional and exhausted so I was silent for hours.

"I didn't kill him." I muttered. "I couldn't. Even if he tried to kill me, I couldn't kill him."

"Charley, maybe talking to your father or brothers would make you feel better." Bobby said. "Call them."

"I will." I pulled out my phone. I contemplated whether to call Dad, Dean or Sam. Dad would probably be angry, so is Dean. And Sam… he'd probably take this lighter than Dad or Dean would, so I dialed his cell.

"Charley, is everything okay?" Sam answered after the third ring.

"It is, for now." I replied. "Sam, I… I couldn't do it." For the past few hours, I was contemplating whether letting Alexander live was a good thing to do. He lost his mate because of my father, but he is a vampire. He's very much capable of causing pain, not just to me, but to other people as well. Dad might have had a good reason why he killed Margaret.

"What are you talking about?" Sam asked.

"Alexander, the man who haunted me for years." I explained to him between sobs. I didn't even realize that I was crying until I felt Amy pat my shoulder. "He finally showed up."

"What?" Sam exclaimed. "What happened? Are you hurt?"

"He tried to kill me. Sam, he had a mate, another vampire. He said that his mate was killed by Dad fifteen years ago. Can you confirm it for me? I'm afraid Dad would be angry because I couldn't even do it right. I couldn't even kill him." I spoke gently, catching my breath. "Sam, the fact that the last thing we hunted was vampires. I'm so ashamed of myself right now. I couldn't kill him, he was feeling that way because he's alone. He lost his mate."

"You shouldn't be ashamed of yourself." He told me. "Look, you didn't kill him, not because you can't do it. You didn't do it because you're noble. It's okay, sweetheart."

"I hope so. I truly hope so."

"So, where are you now?" He asked.

"We're headed back to Iowa." I told him. "Are you still in Iowa?"

"Yes." I heard Sam sigh.

"Sam, is everything okay?"

"Charley, they got Dad." Sam said. "Meg, she got him. He went in Lincoln to meet up with her. Meg wanted the colt, Dad brought her a fake one."

"What?" I uttered. "Why did you let him go?"

"Charley, it's Dad. You know how he goes into this stuff, his orders and all." He said. "Listen, we need help. Tell Bobby that we're meeting him up. We're going to Sioux Falls."

"Sam—"

"We're going to find him, alright. That's why we need a lot of help."

"Okay." I told him sincerely. "I'll see you at Bobby's."

* * *

First off, I truly apologize for the delay. I know it's been a long while since I have last updated. I just got a lot of school papers and exams to do.

Lastly, Thank you to all of you for sharing your time with Charley. :)


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